Experts have come out to allay fears that the Pfizer vaccine is unsafe and may cause harmful side-effects after social media posts about adverse events following vaccination recently went viral.

The posts came amid concerns on social media about a safety report regarding the vaccine to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The report considered more than 7-million self-reported instances of negative side-effects, with pain at the injection site, fatigue and headaches topping the list.

The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) reassured South Africans the vaccine is safe.

“The benefit-risk profile of this vaccine remains favourable and safe to be administered as per the rollout schedule. Sahpra ensures that all health products, including vaccines, have undergone the requisite evaluation and assessments that meet regulatory requirement prior to being made available to the public.

“Safety is an important concern and no product, including vaccines, will be made available to the public if there are any indications that public safety will be compromised.”

It said it closely monitors and investigates any side-effects, and again called on the public to report any adverse events after taking the jab.

“As these vaccines are new, their safety profiles are evolving and investigations are ongoing, hence the need for the continuous monitoring.”