COVID-19: Vaccine safety and side effects

Bell's palsy is an episode of facial muscle weakness or paralysis. Symptoms appear suddenly and generally start to improve after a few weeks. This condition generally affects nerves on one side of the face.

There have been a small number of reports of people developing this rare disorder after receiving the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

In the majority of cases, it's temporary. However, in very rare cases, Bell's palsy can be permanent.

Contact your health care provider if you have any of these symptoms:

• weakness or paralysis on one side of the face, affecting facial muscle movement, such as:
  • smiling
  • squinting
  • blinking or closing the eyelid, including excess tearing from the eye
• unusual headache, not relieved by over the counter remedies
• loss of feeling in the face
• hypersensitivity to sound in one ear
• loss of the sense of taste on part or all of the tongue

The symptoms of Bell's palsy may look like other conditions or medical problems. Always see your health care provider for a diagnosis.

Thrombosis is a blood clot which prevents blood from flowing normally.

Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which you have a low blood platelet count. Platelets (thrombocytes) are blood cells that help blood to clot. Platelets stop bleeding by clumping and forming plugs in injured blood vessels.

Blood clots with low levels of blood platelets occurred after vaccination with the following viral vector COVID-19 vaccines:

• AstraZeneca Vaxzevria/Covishield
• Janssen Jcovden (Johnson and Johnson)

These serious side effects were very rare but serious, and have been reported to begin up to about a month after vaccination. These vaccines are either no longer recommended or approved in Canada.

About the condition

This condition involving blood clots (thrombosis) with low platelets (thrombocytopenia) is referred to as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

In Canada, if blood tests are positive for antibodies that affect platelets, this condition has been called vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

TTS is different from more common blood clotting issues, such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.

With TTS, blood clots can form in different parts of the body, including the brain (called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) and in the abdomen.

Seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• shortness of breath
• chest pain
• persistent abdominal pain
• blurred vision
• confusion or seizures
• severe, persistent or worsening headache
• skin bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin (sometimes away from the part of your body the needle went in)

Learn more about:

• Causality assessment findings: Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome

The condition causes fluid leakage from small blood vessels (capillaries). This can result in:

• low blood pressure
• swelling, mainly in the arms and legs
• sudden weight gain

A very small number of reports of this rare condition have been reported after vaccination with the following viral vector COVID-19 vaccines:

• AstraZeneca Vaxzevria/Covishield
• Janssen Jcovden (Johnson and Johnson)

Capillary leak syndrome is very rare, but can be serious. Some of the reports reviewed were in individuals who have had this condition previously. These vaccines are either no longer recommended or approved in Canada.

If you have any symptoms in the days after vaccination, seek medical attention immediately. You shouldn't get the AstraZeneca Vaxzevria/Covishield vaccine if you've previously experienced capillary leak syndrome.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that causes the body's immune system to damage nerve cells. This can result in:

• pain
• numbness
• muscle weakness, progressing to paralysis in the most severe cases

There are a small number of reports of people who have developed this rare disorder after receiving the following COVID-19 viral vector vaccines:

• AstraZeneca Vaxzevria/Covishield
• Janssen Jcovden (Johnson and Johnson)

These vaccines are either no longer recommended or approved in Canada.

Most people fully recover from the disorder. Seek medical attention immediately if you have any of these symptoms after getting vaccinated. Symptoms can start between 3 and 25 days after vaccination.

Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. Pericarditis is inflammation of the lining around the outside of the heart.

These rare reactions have been reported following vaccination with the:

• mRNA COVID-19 vaccines
• protein-based Novavax Nuvaxovid vaccine
• viral vector Janssen Jcovden (Johnson and Johnson) vaccine

Myocarditis and pericarditis seem to occur more often in some populations and situations, such as:

• in adolescents and young adults
• in males
• following the second dose
• typically occurring within 7 days after vaccination

In the majority of cases, symptoms of myocarditis or pericarditis resolve quickly after seeking medical care.

Seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms after getting a vaccine:

• chest pain or pressure
• irregular heartbeat or rhythm, including too quick or too slow
• shortness of breath