What is a Yellow Card?

The Yellow Card scheme is a mechanism by which anybody can voluntarily report any suspected adverse reactions or side effects to the vaccine. It is very important to note that a Yellow Card report does not necessarily mean the vaccine caused that reaction or event. We ask for any suspicions to be reported, even if the reporter isn’t sure if it was caused by the vaccine. Reports to the scheme are known as suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs).

Many suspected ADRs reported on a Yellow Card do not have any relation to the vaccine or medicine and it is often coincidental that symptoms occurred around the same time as vaccination. The reports are continually reviewed to detect possible new side effects that may require regulatory action, and to differentiate these from things that would have happened regardless of the vaccine or medicine being administered, for instance due to underlying or undiagnosed illness.

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Note on publication during the holiday period

Yellow Card Reporting have given notice that over the holiday period the publication date of the Coronavirus vaccine – weekly summary of Yellow Card reporting will differ from usual. The next publication will be on 6 January 2022 containing data up to 22 December 2021. The publication on 13 January 2022 will contain data up to 5 January. Robust safety monitoring and surveillance will continue to be carried out during this period. The Yellow Card Scheme ask that anyone who suspects they have experienced a side effect linked with their COVID-19 vaccine to report via the Coronavirus Yellow Card website: https://coronavirus-yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/.