Taipei Medical University Hospital (TMUH) has established a telemedicine outpatient clinic for post-vaccination adverse reactions, allowing patients to consult with healthcare workers by telephone or videoconferencing, before arranging follow-up examinations.
The hospital’s Telemedicine Center yesterday said that as the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage rate rises, more suspected cases of side effects from vaccines are being reported.
This month, the center set up an outpatient clinic specializing in post-vaccination adverse reactions so that people can consult with healthcare professionals online.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Medical University Hospital
Side effects from COVID-19 vaccination are more often experienced by people aged 18 to 49, and the most common side effects are fatigue, muscle soreness, headache, swelling and pain at the injection site, Telemedicine Center director Liu Wen-chi (劉文琪) said, citing Central Epidemic Command Center data.
About 10 to 20 percent of the people consulting with the Telemedicine Center — which has provided telemedicine consultations since September — have asked about side effects, including many who cannot go to a clinic because of work obligations, she said.
Many of those using the telemedicine service so far are people asking about suspected side effects in their aging parents or schoolchildren, Liu said.
After booking an online session, users consult with a doctor or nurse by telephone or videoconferencing, with follow-up examinations or treatment arranged at the hospital as needed.
Clinic physician Kao Chih-chin (高治圻) said that if people are experiencing continuous tightness in their chest, dizziness, headache, extensive skin redness or rashes, rapid heartbeat, or a fever, the online doctors would tell them to seek immediate medical attention.
Regarding rare side effects such as myocarditis or pericarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Liu said that the center also provides heartrate monitors that people at risk can wear on their wrist for 14 days after vaccination, and they can seek medical attention earlier if an irregular heart rhythm is observed.
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