Covid vaccines can cause few side effects, but not everyone gets them, and recent research suggests age may play a key role in your experience.

The Covid vaccine offers the strongest protection against SARS-COV-2, and in the US, patients at risk are being administered boosters.

Like many vaccines, there may be side effects, though a recent study reveals some are more common in specific age groups.

Researchers looked at AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, and Moderna, three vaccines approved in the EU.

The study revealed the most common side effects with any of the vaccines included “fatigue, headache and myalgia”. Myalgia is the medical term for muscle pain.

The paper says “middle-aged subjects (18 to 55 years) had more side effects than older individuals” over 55 years.

Overall, regardless of dose, the frequency of each side effect “was very similar across vaccines and did not show a tendency towards one vaccine over another”.

It also says that the approved vaccines are “well tolerated”, and most adverse events “are only mild”.

The authors note that “vaccination is an important tool in the fight against pandemics” though associated adverse events “may negatively impact the public perception of vaccines, therefore leading to decreased vaccination willingness”.

Unvaccinated older adults are more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 and has outlined possible side effects, which should not last longer than a week.

These include a sore arm after the injection, feeling weary, having a headache, feeling achy, or feeling ill.

“More serious side effects, such as allergic reactions or blood clotting, are very rare,” it adds.

One or two days after your shot, you may develop a fever, feel hot, or shiver.

The findings were published online site medRxiv, have not been peer-reviewed, so should not be used to guide clinical practice.

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