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As state and St. Louis city officials guide residents in understanding how and when they can receive either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, many residents might still be apprehensive about receiving the two doses. Here, Dr. Kenan Omurtag, medical director of the IVF (in-vitro-fertilization) unit at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and Dr. Hilary Babcock a Washington University infectious diseases physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, dispel the vaccines’ myths.
First of all, how do the vaccines work? Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines. These kinds of vaccines provide instructions on making a protein in the human body, which then elicits the body’s immune response. In the COVID-19 vaccines, the mRNA instructs the body to create the spiked protein, which teaches your immune system how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19.
Now, onto the misconceptions and questions about the vaccines.
Dr. Kenan R. Omurtag
“The vaccines are unsafe because their development was rushed.”
“It’s easier to make an mRNA and use the body as a facility to make the protein rather than to use the lab to make the protein syntactically,” Omurtag explains. No corners were cut in the regulatory process. Different variables (like what dosage and what side effects were) were tested simultaneously instead of each variable being tested one at a time. Additionally, the U.S. government was willing to pay (remember Operation Warp Speed?) for the development of the vaccine “leading to the amazing speed,” says Omurtag.
“The vaccine’s side effects are dangerous.”
According to BJC Healthcare, the most common side effects reported have been fever, headache, fatigue, and body or muscle aches, as well as muscle soreness around the injection site. Based on reports so far, these side effects are more common after the second dosage.
“The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine trials did not include people of color or older individuals, so the vaccine won’t be as effective for these populations.”
The Pfizer and Moderna trials included a total of 74,000 participants. Of these, 27,000 were over 55 years old, and 23,000 were people of color, according to Babcock. The vaccine shows they are equally effective across all racial/ethnic and age groups, she notes.
“The vaccines are not safe for children.”
This one is still unclear. At this time, children are not eligible to receive the vaccine: Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is available to people age 16 and older, and Moderna’s is approved for only people older than 18. According to BJC, more information about its use in babies and children will hopefully become available in the upcoming months. At a White House coronavirus briefing on January 29, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, said he hopes to see children vaccinated by late spring or early summer. Pfizer/BioNTech is currently running a clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of its vaccine in children aged 12–15.
“The COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility.”
“Usually, people who oppose vaccine campaigns use scare tactics related to the ‘vaccine causes infertility,’” says Omurtag, who says the vaccines do not cause infertility. The week the Pfizer vaccine was up for FDA review is when Omurtag saw conversations about the infertility claim begin online. The American Society of Reproduction and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have also debunked this theory.
“People who already had COVID-19 don’t need to be vaccinated.”
According to BJC, people who already had COVID-19 still need to be vaccinated. Immunity length is currently unknown and may vary from person to person. Vaccination will ensure more consistent immunity across recipients.
How long will the vaccine be effective after the two doses are administered?
According to BJC, this is not yet clear. So far, studies suggest antibodies persist for at least several months after vaccination. The FDA’s approval of the vaccines for use is largely based on safety and effectiveness. The length of protection the vaccines have will need to be studied more.
Dr. Hilary M. Babcock
“The vaccine won’t be covered by insurance or people without insurance cannot get the vaccine.”
Babcock says everyone can be vaccinated when their priority group is eligible regardless of ability to pay or insurance status. The vaccine is free, but an insurance company can be charged an administration fee. If you are uninsured or cannot pay the administration fee, you will not be turned away.
“There’s a microchip in the vaccines.”
Simply put: No, says Omurtag.
“After being vaccinated twice, you won’t get COVID-19.”
Babcock says after being vaccinated, you are much less likely to develop a symptomatic infection or become severely ill with COVID-19. “We don’t yet know whether you might still be able to develop asymptomatic infection and if so, whether you might still be able to pass the infection to others around you during that time,” she says. Therefore, until most of the community is vaccinated and levels of infection in the community are very low, masking and social distancing, and other precautionary measures are still very important.
Have a question about the COVID-19 vaccines? Let us know in the comments and we will aim to answer in future coverage.
