We recently sat down with Dr. Daniel Snell, chief medical officer of Portneuf Medical Center, to ask him the most common questions about COVID-19 and the vaccines.
Delta Variant of COVID-19
Is the Delta variant of COVID-19 more contagious? Yes, the Delta variant is more than 2 times more contagious than the original strain.
Does the Delta variant cause more serious illnesses? Yes, we are seeing more serious illnesses, happening sooner after the initial infection, and in younger patients.
What are the most common symptoms of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in adults? The symptoms are very similar to the original strain: cough, fever, chills and body aches are the most common. Loss of smell and gastrointestinal symptoms are also frequently seen.
What are the symptoms of the Delta variant in children? The symptoms are similar to adults.
COVID-19 Vaccine
What are the side effects of the COVID vaccine? Most common side effects of the vaccine are soreness/redness around the injection site. Chills, body aches, fever, nausea and vomiting can also occur. More serious side effects are extremely rare. As with any medication or vaccine, anaphylaxis (a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction) is extremely rare.
When will side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine occur? Anaphylactic reactions occur usually within 15-30 minutes. The most common side effects usually occur within 24 hours.
Are there any long term effects of COVID-19 vaccine? Long term effects are extremely rare and poorly defined.
Does the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have a unique side effect? The Johnson and Johnson vaccine does have an elevated risk (7 out of every 1 million vaccinations) of blood clots in women age 18-49.
What are the common side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine? The common side effects are the same for all the COVID-19 vaccines.
For more information and to find out where you can get vaccinated, visit our coronavirus web page.