Possible side effects

As with any medicine, vaccines can cause side effects in some people.

Mostly these are mild and tend to be less common in older people. They usually go away in a few days. Any pain or fever can be treated by medicines such as paracetamol.

Common side effects – affecting more than 1 in 10 people, include:

  • Having a painful, heavy feeling and tenderness in the arm where you had your injection. This tends to be worst around 1-2 days after the vaccine
  • Feeling tired
  • Headache
  • General aches, or mild flu like symptoms

Although feeling feverish is not uncommon for two to three days, a high temperature is unusual

In extremely rare cases people have developed a blood clot after having the Astra Zeneca vaccine.

Vaccines do not contain live coronavirus and cannot infect a pregnant woman or her unborn baby. You can find out more information about the vaccine and pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility.

You can find further information on the vaccine here.