WHO Reviews Flu-Like Illness in Those Vaccinated for Covid-19

The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety Covid-19 Subcommittee has met virtually to review available information and data on reports of influenza-like illness in health-care workers who had received Covid-19 vaccines. These symptoms have been reported in several countries.

Based on a careful scientific review of the information made available, the Subcommittee came to the following conclusions:

Symptoms of an influenza-like illness may be expected as immune responses following vaccinations in general. The current reports with the Covid-19 vaccines are consistent with the expected side-effect profile of these vaccines, all of which were well tolerated.

In view of this, the committee considers that the benefit-risk balance of the Covid-19 vaccines (for which reports of the influenza-like reactions are available to date) remains favourable and does not suggest any revision, at present, to the recommendations around the safety of these vaccines.