There’s always a small chance of side effects, for any medication or vaccine. Serious side effects are assessed in clinical trials. Thousands of people received the vaccine through these trials.
Once vaccines are approved and administered in a larger population, surveillance and evaluation systems continue to identify any side effects, known as adverse events following immunization (AEFI). Millions of people have now received the COVID-19 vaccines.
If these events happen, authorities investigate to identify whether the vaccine is directly responsible for the adverse event. Sometimes medical events occur within a few days of vaccination but are not related to the vaccine. If required, a vaccine can be withdrawn from the market and not used if there is a concern of harm. Health Canada can also issue warnings about specific risks in order to inform individuals.
B.C. monitors adverse events following immunization through the immunization surveillance system and reports to the
national and global safety surveillance systems.
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