Roughly 1,000 Owensboro Health Regional Hospital employees have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since Dec. 24. According to OH officials, only one person has exhibited moderate symptoms, and no serious side effects or complications have been recorded thus far.
OH Chief Medical Officer Francis DuFrayne said Wednesday during a COVID-19 update streamed via Facebook Live that the moderate side effects experienced by the individual dissipated after a few hours.
He said the vast majority of those who had been administered a shot reported very minor side effects that are consistent with most vaccinations. According to DuFrayne, 80% of employees reported soreness or tenderness at the injection site. Some individuals reported body aches, while roughly 15% reported having a low-grade fever afterward.
“Within 24 hours, most people would tell you they felt back to normal,” he said.
DuFrayne also addressed some conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine. He said contrary to a belief that’s circulated across both locally and nationally, those who get the vaccine are not being injected with COVID-19.
“You’re not going to get COVID from the vaccine, just like you’re not going to get the flu from the flu shot,” DuFrayne said.
Judge-Executive Al Mattingly, who hosted the Facebook Live, also mentioned information released by the Centers for Disease Control.
“If you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies, you should ask your doctor if you should get a COVID-19 vaccine,” Mattingly said of the CDC guidance. “If you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine, CDC recommends that you should not get that specific vaccine.”
However, those with a history of severe allergic reactions unrelated to vaccines or injectable medications — such as allergies to food, pet, venom, environmental, or latex — may still get vaccinated, according to the CDC.
“People with a history of allergies to oral medications or a family history of severe allergic reactions, or who might have a milder allergy to vaccines (no anaphylaxis) may also get the vaccine,” according to the CDC. “If you have a severe allergic reaction after getting the first shot, you should not get the second shot.”
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