MDS Alert

Question: I’ve heard a lot about monitoring for signs and symptoms after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Is there anything in place for people to report effects?

Missouri Subscriber

Answer: Yes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has set up a system for people to self-report any effects they’ve experienced after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The system is called V-Safe.

“It’s a smart phone-based monitoring program that uses text messaging and web surveys to checks in with vaccine recipients after vaccination. Patients can report side effects and health impact events after COVID-19 vaccination. It includes active telephone follow-up by CDC for reports of a significant health impact event. It also captures information on pregnancy status and enables follow-up on pregnant women,” said Tom Shimabukuro, MD, MPH, MBA, vaccine safety team lead for the COVID-19 Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta, in a recent Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call.

Although this system is specific to COVID-19, there is also the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which is co-managed by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). VAERS is designed to monitor the entire U.S. population and relies on reporting by healthcare providers, patients, parents, caregivers, manufacturers, Shimabukuro says. VAERS accepts all reports, regardless of the plausibility of an effect being actually linked to a vaccine, and the CDC and FDA analyze the reports, Shimabukuro explained.