WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COVID VACCINE
Vaccination against Covid 19 is possibly the only hope we have in returning to normal life. The Covid pandemic has disrupted what is known to us as normal life for close to a year now. The damage done will probably have a lasting effect for many years to come in terms of resources, economy, health both physical and mental and many other aspects of life.
At the present moment there are 7 authorized or approved vaccines in the market. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are from the USA, Sinovac and Sinopharma are from China and there are 2 from Russia. There are many more undergoing phase 3 trials.
Covid19 vaccines like all vaccines help our bodies develop immunity without getting the illness. So far, all the vaccines in the market or being developed will not give you the disease mainly because they do not contain live viruses. There are 3 kind of vaccines in the market at the present moment:
- mRNA vaccines which contain molecular structure of the virus using a technology that allows it to be free from material of animal origin. It is synthesized by an efficient, cell-free process without preservatives. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are examples of the mRNA vaccine. They have received FDA emergency use authorization.
- Protein subunit vaccines include harmless pieces of proteins of the virus. It does not contain the entire virus
- Vector vaccines contain weakened version of a live virus, usually a different virus than the one that causes Covid19 but has the same genetic material as Covid19.
What are the facts:
- ARE THE VACCINES SAFE: YES.
The vaccines in the market though have been developed at breakneck speed they have not skipped any steps that are necessary in the development of any drugs or vaccines. They have all gone through pre-clinical, phase I, II and II trial phases and have been approved by the regulators before distribution.
You may develop mild symptoms with the vaccination for example muscle aches and mild fever but this is not the disease itself. It is the body’s response to the vaccine. These normal vaccine reactions are usually mild and self limiting. They will subside after a few days.
Severe allergic reactions to the vaccine are rare and isolated.
- WILL I NEED VACCINATION IF I HAVE HAD COVID: YES
Due to the severe health risks associated with Covid19 and the fact that reinfection with covid19 is possible, you should be vaccinated regardless if you have had the infection. We are unsure how long the natural immunity produced by an infection with Covid19 will last, hence the need for the vaccination.
- IS THE COVID19 VACCINE EFFECTIVE: YES
The present Covid19 vaccine available in the market has an efficacy of 95% so it is effective in 95 out of 100 people.
- WILL I GET THE DISEASE FROM THE VACCINE: NO
As mentioned before all vaccines do not have the live virus so there is no chance of you getting the disease.
- DO I NEED TO CONTINUE WEARING MASK AFTER THE VACCINATION: YES
Our understanding of the vaccine is still limited as Covid19 is a novel and new disease. There will be about 5% of patients who will not develop immunity despite the vaccines. Furthermore we are still unsure how long the immunity will last.
- WILL THE VACCINE ALTER OUR DNA: NO
Injecting nRNA into your body will not interact, act or react with the DNA in your body. Human cells break down and get rid of the mRNA soon after they have done their job to create antibodies to protect us.
There is much still to be learned from this Covid19 disease, the pandemic and the vaccines. I am sure all the scientists around the world involved in the development of vaccines are working overtime. As human chances are we are always sceptical about something new but from the data and the facts presented to us we must make sound judgement. Vaccination has not only saved many lives but it has been able to exterminate a few diseases such as smallpox.
I am hopeful we will recover from this mayhem of a pandemic from the help of the vaccines. Do not hesitate to message us at 01123002843 if there are any questions. Do leave a comment. Have a nice day!
Dr Betty Teh
Editor in Chief
Beating Hearts
