How the CDC Tracks Coronavirus Vaccine Side Effects
And how to report yours.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines showed great results in the phase 3 clinical trials, and I was lucky enough to be among the first batch of vaccine recipients. Many of the side effects of medications or vaccines are found after administration to the general public, in phase 4 clinical trials, also known as post market surveillance. How does the CDC gather this data? For the coronavirus vaccine, they are using a smartphone-based survey called v-safe.
After getting the first dose of vaccine, you can register on the v-safe website and it will ask for the brand of vaccine you received, the date you received it, and then it will proceed to text you regularly to check in on your symptoms. It will first ask daily, then ask weekly. If you forget to check in, it will keep texting. And texting. And texting. :)
Each survey only takes a minute or two to complete. Stay safe out there everyone.
