ORLANDO, Fla. — A growing number of adults younger than 50 are qualifying for the COVID-19 vaccine because of medical conditions or their line of work.

What You Need To Know

  • More adults under the age of 50 are able to get the COVID-19 vaccine

  • Experts say they are also more likely to have a reaction to the vaccine

  • Jenn Devine, 37, received vaccine and had some arm soreness, headache, fatigue

Health experts say those who are most recently eligible are also more likely to have a reaction to the vaccine, because younger adults' immune systems are the most active.

That means they’re more likely to have a physical response from the vaccine, even after their first dose.

Jenn Devine, 37, was quick with her clicks when it came time for all teachers in Florida to get in line for a COVID-19 vaccine.

"As soon as they announced that teachers could get it, all of my friends kind of flooded to the vaccine sites,” Devine said. “So a lot of them have had it. Some of them have had really strong reactions, and (for) some of them it was mild.”

Devine got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“Right when they gave me the shot, my arm got really sore for about 3 minutes, and then I was fine," Devine said. "I was like, ‘Oh, that’s it.’ Then, the next day, my arm was really sore. ... it hurt to lift it above a specific point. I had a headache and some mild tiredness, but that was about it.”

According to to Dr. Edgar Sanchez, vice chair of the infectious disease department at Orlando Health, that's in line with their observations.

“Generally, younger people have more robust reactions for their immune systems,” Sanchez said.

He said it’s hard to tell when, how long, and how severe the reaction will be.

“We don’t know if you’re going to have that or somebody else is, but we do know that younger people tend to have it," he said. "No matter how bad this vaccine reaction is, it’s not nearly as bad as what you can get with COVID.”

A Pfizer trial showed that up to 40% of people younger than 50 could experience a reaction after their first dose of the vaccine. It also determined that 50% or more of people under 50 could experience symptoms after their second dose.​

But “it was like a breath of fresh air, a weight lifted off the shoulders.... just a huge amount of anxiety gone," Devine said of getting vaccinated.