So THAT'S Why You Feel Like Crap After Your COVID Or Flu Shot

Infectious disease experts reveal just what you can expect with this year's batch — and why side effects may actually be a good thing.

A new COVID-19 shot is here, and the Food and Drug Administration is recommending everyone 6 months old and up get it. Infectious disease experts have said the new vaccines, which target the KP.2 variant that’s behind the most recent wave of infections, do a better job at preventing serious outcomes like hospitalization and death.

If it’s been a second since you’ve gotten a booster shot, then let this serve as a quick reminder that it’s very normal — and common — to feel under the weather for a day or two after you get vaccinated, and flu-like symptoms are a sign the shot is doing its job.

“These symptoms may be reflective of a more robust immune response to the vaccine, which leads to longer-lasting and stronger protection,” Dr. Scott Roberts, a Yale Medicine infectious disease specialist, told HuffPost.

Here’s why you may not feel so well after getting the new COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the FDA, the new shots are expected to trigger side effects similar to those of the previous COVID-19 vaccines: headaches, fatigue, mild fevers and muscle pains.