A virologist at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) Dr Augustina Sylvaken has explained people can experience different reactions to COVID-19 vaccination as every other vaccination.

Ghana is set to receive the first set of vaccines by March 2021, but there is a crusade raising high alert on possible side-effects of the vaccine.

Speaking on Nhyira FM’s morning show ‘Kuro Yi Mu Nsem’, Dr Sylvaken noted every drug introduced into the human system could be detected as a foreign material by the body’s immune system which invokes a reaction.

“Everyone has different reactions to medicine. Some people get irritated or even develop diarrhoea after taking malaria drugs, some kids have no effects to injection whilst others develop some adverse effects.

“The reaction of the immune system to foreign elements is different for everyone so some of these things are expected. When the vaccine arrives in Ghana, you’ll realize someone will have no effects after taking the vaccination, some will have slight headaches and I’ve even experienced someone collapse after being vaccinated,” said Dr. Sylnaken. 

She however says the public must be conscientised to correct wrong perceptions about the vaccination.

“Usually when they introduce some of these vaccines, they have people who monitor the people who’ve been vaccinated for reactions. I know here in Ghana, there is a perception about vaccines but I also know there is a study ongoing on the perception to prepare the path for the vaccination,” she said. 

Producers of the Covid-19 vaccine, Pfizer, have published most common side-effects of Covid-19 vaccine to include pain at the injection site (84.1%), fatigue (62.9%), headache (55.1%), and muscle pain (38.3%).