COVID-19 Vaccines compared: side effects, ingredients, etc.
From Consumerlab
Comparison of FDA-Authorized Vaccines ::
| Pfizer / BioNTech (mRNA) |
Moderna (mRNA) |
J&J; (Janssen) (adenovirus) |
| Efficacy | ||
| After 1st dose: 52% After 2nd dose: 95% |
After 1st dose: Not known After 2nd dose: 94% Efficacy in those 65 and older is a little lower, about 86%; however, overall, some evidence of greater protection against severe disease. |
After 1st dose: 72% (moderate and severe COVID-19) Similar in people 65 and older vs. younger people |
| Most Common Side Effects | ||
| Injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever; more common after 2nd dose. Side effects noted to be lower in people 56 and older. | Injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, nausea / vomiting, fever; more common after 2nd dose. {ANAME()}more-side-effects{ANAME}Side effects after 2nd dose more common with Moderna than Pfizer. |
Injection site pain, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, nausea, fever Side effects similar in people 65 and older vs. younger people |
| Duration of Side Effects | ||
| Can last several days | Typically one day, but can last up to one week | One or two days |
| Serious Allergic Reaction | ||
| {ANAME()}sar-pfizer{ANAME}Low rate of rate of severe allergic reactions (4.7 cases per million doses) but nearly double the rate for Moderna. Treatable with epinephrine. Affected people should not receive 2nd dose. |
{ANAME()}sar-moderna{ANAME}Low rate of rate of severe allergic reactions (2.5 cases per million doses). Treatable with epinephrine. Affected people should not receive 2nd dose. |
Low rate of severe allergic reactions (only 1 case of anaphylaxis in an ongoing trial in South Africa). Treatable with epinephrine. One case of severe hypersensitivity (not anaphylaxis) per 21,895 doses in pre-authorization trial. |
| Age Requirements | ||
| 16 years and older | 18 years and older | 18 years and older |
| Where to Get | ||
| {ANAME()}alternative-storage-for-pfizer-vaccine{ANAME}Ultra-low temperature freezer storage is preferred. As an alternative, undiluted, frozen vials can be transported and stored at freezer temperatures for up to 2 weeks, which may make it available to more vaccine sites. | Requires only regular freezer storage, so may be more broadly available, such as in doctor's offices, clinics, rural locations. | Requires only regular refrigeration (DNA is more stable than mRNA) and single dose, so may be available in widest variety of settings |
| Ingredients (per dose) Pfizer / BioNTec | ||
| * 30 mcg nucleoside-modified mRNA | ||
| * Lipids (fatty substances) | ||
| * (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate) | ||
| * 2 PEG 2000-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide | ||
| * 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine | ||
| * Cholesterol | ||
| * Potassium chloride | ||
| * Monobasic potassium phosphate | ||
| * Sodium chloride | ||
| * Dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate | ||
| * Sucrose (sugar) | ||
| Ingredients (per dose) Moderna | ||
| * 100 mcg nucleoside-modified mRNA | ||
| * Lipids (fatty substances) | ||
| * SM-102 | ||
| * PEG 2000 dimyristoyl glycerol (DMG) | ||
| * Cholesterol | ||
| * 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) | ||
| * Tromethamine | ||
| * Tromethamine hydrochloride | ||
| * Acetic acid | ||
| * Sodium acetate | ||
| * Sucrose (sugar) | ||
| Ingredients (per dose) J&J; | ||
| 5 x 1010 viral DNA particles | ||
| * Polysorbate-80 | ||
| * 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin | ||
| * Citric acid monohydrate | ||
| * Trisodium citrate dihydrate | ||
| * Ethanol | ||
| * Sodium chloride |
*The CDC has recommended that people who experience anaphylaxis after the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should not receive additional doses (CDC, 2020).
Sources: FDA Fact Sheet for Administering Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine; FDA Fact Sheet for Administering Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine; FDA Fact Sheet for Administering Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine; Polack, N Engl J Med 2020; Mahase, BMJ 2020; New York Times (12/16/02); Shimabukuro, JAMA 2021; FDA News Release, February 25, 2021
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