Re: Addressing Covid Vaccine Concerns Part III
Ending Covid
Re: Addressing Vaccine Concerns
When is the Covid vaccine going to be approved in the United States?
The FDA has scheduled to evaluate the efficacy of a Covid-19 vaccine on December 10, 2020 to determine if it is suitable for usage to prevent Americans from being infected with Covid. Most states are expecting to receive their first shipment starting in December 2020.
How long did it take to develop the vaccine?
There are hundreds of vaccines and virus prevention drugs/devices/methods etc. in development in nations worldwide which have been tested on thousands of people over the past year. At the current time there is a vaccine which has shown efficacy and positive results under evaluation.
Do I want to get the vaccine?
This depends on who you are, the critical component is to determine if you have already been exposed to the virus or not, along with what the chances are of you getting symptoms.
But, it is a new vaccine technology and done in record time, so should I worry if it is safe?
Sure you can be concerned about it, however the key point is to figure out if you have already been exposed, which most of the population has. Who is at greatest risk, those who come across lots of people who are sick (healthcare), assuming that they have not already been exposed. Next those most vulnerable, following with those individuals who come across the greatest amount of people.
Why?
Let's start with how this vaccine works. This is an mRNA vaccine. Past vaccines typically use a live but weakened "attenuated" virus, or dead viral material "inactivated" virus, or a piece of the virus's protein or even a toxin produced by the virus. The Covid vaccine is very different. It contains mRNA (messenger genetic material) that encodes for the Covid spike protein. This causes your cells to then produce the Covid spike protein. In contrast, when you are sick with Covid, the virus hijacks your cell to produce many copies of the entire virus. Then it destroys the cell, busting it open to release its newly formed viral particles. When your cells release just the spike protein, it will stimulate your immune system to form antibodies to the Covid spike protein without you getting sick. There is no possibility of getting Covid from the vaccine. When your body is subsequently exposed to Covid, it will quickly recognize the spike protein and destroy it before it can make you sick. This was 90-95% effective in preventing Covid, which is an even better percentage than most other vaccines. However, you must take both doses (about 3-4 weeks apart) to get the boost needed to maintain immunity. Ok sounds about right, however again critical issue is regarding who needs it first. This is why most governments have not purchased mass quantities securing it for the entire population and also most likely why they have taken time to approve an emergency measure.
Am I concerned about it being new? And previously untested?
Yes, this is a typical response that everyone even within the industry has, this is why there is so much regulation and evaluation, because we want to make sure that all safety precautions have been taken to prevent side effects and countermeasures.
This being said, this type of technology is not entirely new. It has been studied and used in cancer research. They have been making mRNA vaccines and studying them to specifically target proteins on tumor cells and train your immune system to then destroy the tumor. In this case, it is not a vaccine in the preventive sense, as it is targeted to a tumor that you already have. It is not currently widespread because it has to be custom made for each tumor. However, it has been "around the block" for a while now. The technology has also been studied for other CoV's. It never came to fruition, because the diseases never reached pandemic proportions. The mRNA does not enter the nucleus of the cell, and it does not affect your DNA, and therefore has no lasting impact on your cell.
Am I concerned about the speed with which it was developed? Weren't significant corners cut in order to get this out so quickly?
We were given the genetic code by scientists in China to start vaccine production in January 2020, before Covid was even documented to have reached our shores. From there, the vaccine was developed from the technology we had from the prior CoV's (SARS-1) and cancer research, and was completed in March 2020. Normally, there would be months of waiting for the FDA to proceed to evaluate the data prior to approving Phase 1 trials. Due to the urgent nature of this, it was essentially put on top of the incoming evaluation pile, which reduced months of waiting but did not reduce any financial costs.
Between the vaccines (both mRNA, with a slightly different delivery system), that were tested in a certain amount of people in Phase 3 (along with a placebo). With this being said, this is a possible chance to hopefully get our lives back to near normal, relatively soon. However, it is new and it was done quickly, so understandably, people may be hesitant to get it; even those who vaccinate against all other diseases. And it is perfectly fine to restrict quantities to only those who genuinely need it at the onset in order to observe the impact.
Aren't I concerned that the FDA is about to approve it, and there may be side effects that haven't been seen yet?
Long term side effects for all new medical preventive measures are not known until the time has passed. While the research industry tries it best to evaluate previous knowledge and trials in addition to current population demands, long term ramifications can only be predicted until known.
We know from decades of vaccine research, since you typically just get 1, 2 or 3 doses and then you are done with it, that nearly all side effects from vaccines occur in the first 6 weeks. Like other vaccines, minor side effects may occur (soreness at injection site, muscle aches, fever). Severe adverse reactions are extremely rare, and again, occur quickly if they are going to occur at all. Because vaccines are given to unexposed people (unlike medications for treating a disease that is already present) they are held to a much higher standard for approval. What to determine is what your risk factor/percentage is. Is the risk of having a significant adverse reaction from the Covid vaccine smaller than the risk of being infected with Covid, depends on each individual case.
The rest of the population (outside of healthcare workers), will likely be able to get the vaccine in February or March. At this point more people will be able to receive the vaccine.
For those under 18 years old - it has not yet been tested, because it is not a priority, however trials are taking place. The target group is the population who has been impacted the greatest, specifically regarding those who have not had prior exposure.
Sharing of information is important to combat this situation. This post was composed by a guest author. I would like to credit the original author for bringing to light such excellent points.
