When the first vaccines were introduced to the Dutch market this year, 31 side effects were known. According to MEB, the addition of 36 to the package leaflet since then is mainly due to the wide scope in which vaccination is currently being carried out worldwide. More than 24 million injections have been taken in the Netherlands so far.

“As a result, side effects, especially rare side effects, appear much faster in a short time,” the spokeswoman said. In clinical studies prior to the licensing of vaccines, these vaccines were not sufficiently identified to end in the package literature, according to MEB. “If many post-registration spontaneous reports are received of certain side effects, such as diarrhea and vomiting, one can still decide to include this.”

Rare side effects

Of the potential side effects added later, eight were rated as serious. These include post-vaccination carditis (myocarditis and pericarditis). These rare cases are mentioned in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccinations.

For Janssen and AstraZeneca, this includes immune thrombocytopenia, a rare condition in which the body breaks down platelets. Less serious side effects such as vomiting (Pfizer, very common), dizziness (Moderna, rare), and diarrhea were added as possible side effects.

MEB notes that most of the vaccine’s side effects are “in the picture.” A number of other potential side effects are still being investigated. “You can never rule out her being here,” the spokeswoman explains.