Unclear if COVID Vaccine is More Dangerous than Flu Vaccine

Misbar found that COVID-19 vaccines and Influenza (flu) vaccines use different technologies but have the same goal: to teach your body to fight the viruses. While three COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for emergency use, the Modern and Pfizer vaccines have been in use the longest. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in a January 27, 2021 report, approximately 70 percent of people receiving a vaccine had localized pain after a shot. 

There were 45 reports of serious adverse event reports per million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines administered. The CDC reports severe allergic reactions also happened to some who took a COVID-19 vaccine.

Over 41 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through February 7, 2021. During this time, the CDC received 1,170 reports of death (0.003%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. However, the cause of death was not determined to be associated with the vaccine. 

The flu shot has a much longer history and more available safety data. Different versions of the flu shot have been given in the U.S. over the last 50 years (this is compared to less than one year for the COVID-19 vaccine). For every million flu shots, severe reactions occur in about 0.2 cases.

It may be too early to tell whether the COVID-19 vaccine is more dangerous than the flu vaccine. While deaths after the COVID vaccine have been reported, it does not mean that the vaccine caused the death. For example, the COVID-19 vaccine has been widely given to the elderly, who may be more likely to die coincidentally than say a young child receiving the flu vaccine. Children have not yet been approved to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.