hello everyone, this is Dr. Audrey Tai. I am a board-certified and fellowship trained cataract
and refractive surgeon, ophthalmologist and cornea specialist. Welcome back to
my channel – eye channel by eye surgeon. In this video I want to share with you about my
experience receiving my third dose of the Pfizer Covid 19 vaccine. On August 23, 2021 the Pfizer
Covid 19 vaccine received its full FDA approval for people who are 16 and older, and continues to
be available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for children between 12-15 years
old. The additional booster shot was recommended by the CDC just this month in September.
I received my booster shot around noon right after my morning clinic. The injection itself
was not painful, but I blocked my schedule in the afternoon and the morning after,
because I had a strong reaction after receiving my second dose of the vaccine. You can learn
more about my experience receiving my first and second doses of the vaccine in this video (point).
I didn’t notice any symptoms until around seven hours after receiving the injection,
when I started to have some soreness in my upper left arm around the injection site.
The soreness gradually increased throughout the rest of the evening, but it didn’t get as intense
as what I felt after receiving my first dose. The soreness in my arm did not radiate to my neck,
and I did not have trouble raising my arm, unlike my first dose. Throughout the night I did not have
fever or chills like my second dose, however, I did have some trouble sleeping that night.
I kept waking up every couple hours throughout the night. When I woke up in the morning,
I still had some soreness around the injection site in my arm, but it wasn't too bad.
However, I started feeling feverish in the morning, and my temperature was 99.9°, which is
slightly elevated. I also had mild tachycardia, but my O2 saturation was normal the whole time.
I also had a mild headache throughout the morning and was quite tired. I was really glad I took the
morning off after receiving the booster shot. The headache and fatigue were noticeable but not
severe enough for me to take Tylenol or ibuprofen. I was able to have a full clinic in afternoon,
and definitely noticed that the headache and fatigue gradually IMPROVED
throughout the afternoon. By the evening, I only noticed some muscle achiness in my arms and legs,
but the fever and headaches were gone. I had a good night of sleep the second night after
receiving the vaccine, when I woke up in the morning, all of my symptoms were gone.
In summary, after my booster shot, I experienced soreness around the injection site in my arm
for about 24 hours but it was not as severe as my first dose.
I had some insomnia the night after receiving the injection. I also experienced an elevated
body temperature and tachycardia the morning after receiving the vaccine,
but overall those symptoms were not as severe as the ones I had after my second dose. I was
able to have a full clinic 24 hours after receiving the booster shot. The fatigue and
headache I experienced after the third dose was much milder comparing to the second dose.
All of the symptoms resolved within 36 hours after the injection.
The physical symptoms I experienced after receiving the booster dose
are expected symptoms that can occur after receiving the vaccine. They are signs that our
immune system has been activated by the vaccine to produce antibodies against the SARS Covi 2 virus.
The scientific term ‘reactogenicity’ describes those physical symptoms that can occur
after vaccination due to the inflammatory response in our body induced by the activation
of our immune system by the vaccine. Those symptoms are typically normal and expected.
If you have already received your booster shot of the Covid 19 vaccine,
I would love to hear about your experience in the comments below.
It is very important to remember that the covid 19 vaccine is effective to protect us against
serious illness and hospitalization from the Covid 19 disease if we are exposed to the virus, however
it is less effective in protecting us from contracting the virus and carrying the virus,
so it is still possible for vaccinated individuals to potentially spread the virus in our community.
So even after receiving the Covid 19 vaccine,
there are times and places we still need to wear masks to prevent spreading of the virus.
It is also very important to remember to discuss with your physician if you have any specific
questions about your health or your eligibility to receive the COVID 19 vaccine booster shot
when it becomes available to you. If you do not have any medical condition contraindicated
to receiving the vaccine booster dose, I hope you will consider getting the vaccine yourself;
this is how we all do our part to protect our family, friends, colleagues, and community.
I hope that after watching this video you are able to find answers to some of the
questions you may have about the Pfizer vaccine booster shot. If you find this video helpful,
or if you have learned anything new from this video, please don't forget to hit the like button,
and subscribe to my channel to help me bring you more videos about eye health and medicine.
You can also follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn at Dr. Audrey Tai to learn more about my practice.
Thank you again for watching and I will see you in my next video.