6 minute read
Vax FAQs
By Elizabeth Morse Read
D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy that changed the course of WWII, was a massive mobilization. The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is worthy of comparison – “V-Day” – a global race to fight an existential enemy that threatens everyone everywhere. But as with any bold new endeavor, people have a lot of questions and concerns.
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The vast majority of post-vaccination side effects happen in people 18-55 years old and last only a day or so – soreness at the injection site, slight fever, headache, fatigue. They are more common after the second shot, so you may want to take it easy the next day. While potential side effects aren’t enjoyable, they signal that your immune system is in overdrive generating antibodies – and the side effects are trivial when compared to the complications of contracting COVID-19.
The fact is that of the one million doses that had been administered by Christmas Day, fewer than ten people had experienced a true allergic reaction after getting a shot. Anyone who carries an epi-pen because they’re allergic to certain foods, medications, or insect bites is at a higher risk of experiencing an allergic reaction to any vaccination, so they should hold off on getting a shot until they’ve discussed it with their doctor. But that’s why, when you go for your shot, you’ll be asked to sit and wait for 15-30 minutes before you leave – such allergic reactions happen almost immediately. The person vaccinating you will be equipped with epi-pens and trained to recognize signs of an allergic reaction.
I’ve read a lot of scary stories on the internet about the vaccines – do they cause sterility? Don’t use social media as your source of information about the COVID-19 virus or vaccines. Listen to public health officials in your state and community and contact your health care provider if you have questions or concerns. Vaccines do not cause sterility or change your DNA, nor do they contain microchips so that the government can track you. If it sounds crazy, it probably is.
Viruses (like bacteria) mutate constantly – it’s how they survive. That’s why each year’s flu shot is slightly different from the previous year’s shot – they’re formulated to attack whatever variant strains and mutations that occurred in the previous year. The COVID-19 vaccines – especially the two mRNA vaccines – were designed to be “tweaked” whenever necessary to address viral variations that could lessen the effectiveness of the vaccine.
We will learn soon enough whether it will need to be an annual event, like the flu shot, or whether a person’s immunity lasts longer than that, needing only an occasional booster, like tetanus shots. The immunity you develop after getting vaccinated is more powerful and long-lasting, though, than the brief immunity after recovering from the virus.
A week or so after the first does, your body does produce antibodies, but only about half of what you’d achieve by getting the second booster dose. Consult your doctor or pharmacist to schedule the second dose as soon as possible if you miss it.
Yes. It’s not entirely understood whether vaccination (a) prevents you from developing serious illness or (b) prevents you from becoming infected entirely. If there’s a possibility that you could become infected after being vaccinated (but be asymptomatic), you’d still be able to spread the virus. Until more research is done, assume that you are still a potential “silent spreader” after being vaccinated.
Public health experts estimate that at least 75-80% of the world’s population will need to be vaccinated in order for us to achieve herd immunity. While some people may be hesitant at first, they will be more willing to get vaccinated once they become convinced of their safety and effectiveness, especially when they see the daily infection numbers trending down and restrictions gradually being lifted. But a quarter of the world’s population may not be inoculated until 2022, unless rich countries and global health organizations share the vaccines with poor countries. Otherwise, the virus will just bounce around the globe for years.
Yes, employers can require workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine and bar them from the workplace if they refuse, according to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A landmark Massachusetts case in 1905, which went all the way to the Supreme Court, determined that public health was more important than personal choice when it came to vaccinations. However, people with legitimate medical or religious objections will be accommodated. Likewise, in the future, businesses and venues – stadiums, airlines, museums, concerts – may require patrons to provide a “vaccine passport” to prove they’ve been vaccinated.
Many people have expressed hesitancy about the new COVID-19 vaccines because of how incredibly fast they were developed. In less-critical times, vaccines would undergo Phase 1 testing to evaluate the safety of a vaccine and to measure the immune response it generates. Then, Phase 2 would determine the most effective dosage and monitor side effects. Normally, each phase would take several months each, but the Operation Warp Speed COVID-19 trials combined Phases 1 and 2 to create a simultaneous testing Phase 1/2a. This reduced the time needed to achieve a year’s worth of research to just a few months.
Phase 3 trials of a vaccine’s efficacy are done on a large sampling of the population – covering all adult age groups, races, health conditions – where half receive the actual vaccine and half receive a placebo. Phase 3 trials can take years, but by testing extremely large groups (30,000- 60,000), a vaccine’s effectiveness can be determined much faster.
Meanwhile, while all the clinical trials were ongoing, the COVID-19 vaccines were being manufactured and prepared for distribution. Normally, manufacturing doesn’t even begin until after Phases 1,2, and 3 finish, so this parallel manufacturing scheme, while financially risky for the US government, ensured that the vaccines would be ready to ship as soon as authorization was granted. In short, the compressed COVID-19 vaccines timeline was accomplished by cutting red tape – not corners.
The best way is to not breathe in anybody else’s air. The virus lingers in the air in aerosolized droplets, so staying as far away from others as possible – and wearing a mask – is the best way to avoid breathing in their expelled air. Stay away from crowded, poorly-ventilated indoor settings – malls, restaurants, churches, theatres, offices, airports. Stay indoors with your immediate family “bubble” as much as possible and don’t let non-bubble visitors in for more than a few minutes, even if they’re wearing a mask. Wear your mask when you leave your house and limit your shopping to no more than 30 minutes inside a store.
That depends entirely on whether enough people get vaccinated and continue to practice good public health measures. As of January 1, one in sixteen Americans had contracted COVID-19, and one in every thousand had died of it. We’re facing a viral infection tsunami right now because millions of Americans ignored the warnings of public health officials about traveling and congregating over the holidays. Vaccines alone will not get us to herd immunity if people ignore basic public health guidelines like social distancing, mask wearing, hand-washing, and avoiding crowds, especially indoors. Neither science nor the government can rescue us from ourselves. We’re all in this together – life will return to “normal” when everyone commits to doing their part.
