One doctor on seven of the most frequently asked about the Covid-19 vaccine.
An Infectious Disease Doctor Answers All Your Questions About the Covid Vaccine
Every morning, I drive by a neighbor’s yard sign that questions whether Covid-19 exists. I think about this sign when I arrive at the hospital, where I work as an infectious disease physician. We are now better at treating Covid, but my patients still sit alone in a room, gasping and frightened. Many patients are still dying, their last words shared with loved ones over a foggy cell phone screen. In the Midwest, the hospitals are alarmingly full. It is still heartbreaking work.
Then came the news that there were multiple, highly effective vaccines. The FDA granted emergency authorization to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine December 11 and will likely grant the same to Moderna Vaccine December 18. It is the light so many of us have been waiting for.
As doses arrived in hospitals across the country, friends, including healthcare workers, messaged me their questions. Somewhere between conspiratorial lawn signs and many unknowns, we can still rely on sound scientific guidance through the beginning of the end of this pandemic. Below, answers to seven of the most frequently asked questions I've received:
When will things go back to normal?The best estimate is that we may be able to socialize normally in Fall 2021. Implementing the vaccine requires enormous effort and time. The vaccine must be accessible, equitably, even in the U.S.’s fractured health system, and acceptable to enough people to achieve herd immunity.
In the meantime, hospitals continue to be dangerously overtaxed during this winter surge and mortality is rising. It is critical that we continue masking and distancing.
How does the vaccine work?We have millennia of experience with generating immunity without the danger of actual disease. Edward Jenner in 1796 protected individuals from smallpox using cowpox (a disease that is similar but less deadly). Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines use a synthesized molecule (mRNA), that generates inactive pieces of coronavirus which then stimulates our bodies’ immunity. It is something like cowpox—an imitation but not an infection itself—that trains the body to fend off the real thing.
What are the risks of getting the vaccine?There is always potential for side effects. These side effects seem similar to those of influenza or shingles vaccines. There can be arm soreness at the injection site. You may get fever, chills, fatigue or headaches for a day—signs that the immune system is building protection. These are the most common side effects, though not everyone experiences them. In the clinical trial, there were no serious safety concerns in the 22,000 participants receiving the vaccine. As we scale up to millions of people and follow over time, we may find rare side effects. The CDC is monitoring for unexpected effects. We cannot know for certain, but so far, studies suggest this is a low risk vaccine.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Dharushana Muthulingam
