Spread the Word (Not the Vaccine)
MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH UPDATE
V is for vaccine!
There’s a TON of vaccine news, so let’s tackle that first:
The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has already been put into the arms of healthcare workers after FDA approval last week! This weekend I signed up to get my first dose. HALLELUJAH!
This vaccine is proven to be safe and effective. The only people who should not get the vaccine at the moment are people who have had anaphylactic reactions to vaccines in the past. The vaccine is considered safe for people with allergies to medicines and foods.
Pregnant women were not included in the initial vaccine trial, but thus far there are no particular concerns in pregnant women. Pregnant women should discuss the pros and cons with their physician. (Note: If I were pregnant, I’d get it!)
Immunocompromised patients and patients with autoimmune diseases should indeed get vaccinated. The only issue in immunocompromised patients is the potential for not mounting a robust immune response to the vaccine, but the vaccine itself should not cause any problems.
If you’ve had COVID-19, you should still get the vaccine. But you should wait to get vaccinated until other, non-immune patients have received it first. This is because we know that re-infection is extremely uncommon in the first 90 days after coronavirus infection due to the robust antibody and T-cell immune response to the virus.
Widespread vaccination with this Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine—and other vaccines in the pipeline—is critical for getting us through the pandemic. As a country we have demonstrated our inability to adhere to risk mitigation measures, and we are paying the price. We’ve added one million new COVID cases in just four days, and over 3000 Americans are dying each day.
Health care workers, the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions will get the vaccine first. According to most public health experts including Dr. Fauci, most everyone else will start to get vaccinated towards the end of April.
We’ll have to wear masks and practice social distancing and hand hygiene for quite a bit longer. Why? Because while the vaccine is proven to be 95% effective at preventing individuals from developing COVID-19, we don’t know yet if the vaccine prevents people from carrying coronavirus and transmitting it to others.
Masks continue to be our most powerful public health tool, so keep wearing yours, even if you’ve had COVID-19. Nature Medicine published a study reporting that we could save almost 130,000 American lives through the end of February if at least 95% of people in every state consistently wore masks in public.
The immunity from the vaccine has been shown to last at least 3 months, but it may last even longer. We’ll know a lot more as time goes on. We might end up needing boosters every so often. But only time will tell!
And now for my interpretation of vaccine news: TAKE IT WHEN YOU CAN!
Tell your friends, family, and coworkers to take it, too! The sooner we dispel vaccine myths, overcome vaccine fears, and work together to get EVERYONE vaccinated, the sooner we can get back to school, work, and houses of worship—and start to reclaim our lives.
Remember these common vaccine myths, arm yourself with the facts, and tell everyone you know:
Myth: “Operation Warp Speed” means that science was rushed and we’re sacrificing safety for speed.
Truth: The mRNA technology on which the vaccine is based has been around for decades. It’s because of the dire situation of COVID-19 that scientists worked tirelessly and cooperatively to apply the technology to attack the new virus. The safety and efficacy data is real and proven. Science has no agenda other than your health!
Myth: mRNA vaccines can alter our DNA.
Truth: mRNA vaccines use snippets of coronavirus’ genetic code and provide instructions to human cells to create a protein that our immune system recognizes and then makes antibodies against. The mRNA does not get incorporated into our DNA whatsoever. In fact, mRNA stays in our cells’ cytoplasm and never enters the cell nucleus.
Myth: You can get COVID-19 from the vaccine.
Truth: It's impossible to get COVID-19 from the vaccine. The vaccine does not contain the virus. You can, however, get transient body aches, chills, headache, and fatigue AND/OR pain at the injection site. These are normal and expected side effects and should not prevent people from getting the second vaccine dose three weeks after the first.
We need everyone to trust science, take the vaccine, and do their part to grind this pandemic to a halt. But trust must be earned. Trust starts with listening, understanding, and providing a safe, non-judgmental space for open dialogue.
I hope each of us can take up this cause. We all know someone who is reluctant to get vaccinated but who trusts our opinions. Let’s try to understand their reasoning and help lead them to the facts.
On that note, here’s the talk and Q & A about COVID-19 facts and fears that I delivered on Friday to COVID Survivor Corps, the largest grass-roots patient advocacy group on COVID-19. It was a real treat for me, and I hope you find it helpful.
I will check in later this week. Until then, be well.