Women twice as likely to have Covid vaccine side effects

Women are twice as likely as men to have a side effect from a vaccination against Covid-19. The difference between male and female reaction rates is greatest after a first shot, according to Dutch side effects research center Lareb.

In particular, women reported nausea far more often than men, as well as inflammation at the injection site. The recovery for women was also slightly longer than men.

"In general, it is known that more women experience side effects from vaccines than men," said Lareb director Agnes Kant. "This is partly due to a stronger immune system reaction."

More than 27,000 people who received a vaccination participated in the study. Although the majority of participants, 62.5 percent, were women, Lareb made adjustments to their dataset to account for this.

Lareb said the research can contribute to the body of knowledge about the differences between male and female response to vaccinations. Information about this can be included in future vaccination campaigns.