We are now one step closer to getting back to normal with Covid-19 vaccines rolling out, especially as many Americans are now receiving their second dose. Like any other vaccine, side effects are common, and symptoms following the second dose are reported to be a bit more intense than the first round.

Katherine J. Wu, a writer for The Atlantic, described waking up to her husband, a neurologist at Yale New Haven Hospital, experiencing chills and a high fever after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. Although his more extreme side effects are less common, there have been multiple reports of similar situations. 

When interviewed by ABC News, a pediatrician at University of Missouri Health, Alexandra James, also reported stronger side effects after her second dose. She described feelings of fatigue, aching muscles, and soreness in her arms. Boone Hospital healthcare worker Amy Bierk described feeling the same symptoms after both doses of the vaccine but much stronger and intense after the second dose. 

Despite the fear that may be invoked by the reports of a tougher reaction to the second dose of the vaccine, experts are saying that these are all good signs. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement on one of their vaccine education articles stating, “You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection.”

Various other doctors and experts have explained that a body’s reaction to the second dose is a sign that the vaccine is working. Since this is the body’s second exposure to the vaccine, and the second dose delivers a higher quantity of vaccine, the body will not only put up a harder defense, but also build protection against the virus. When you come across an article about the side effects of the second virus, do not fret. Instead, look at it as a happy sign that change and a return to normalcy are coming soon.