Read on Twitter
If you are hesitant about the #CovidVaccine, like I was, that’s understandable. Here are some things I found reassuring that you might like to know.
1. The development of this vaccine was prioritized more so than rushed.
1/
1. The development of this vaccine was prioritized more so than rushed.
1/
All our best and brightest scientific minds stopped other endeavors and focused singularly on this. Yes, it was finalized in under a year, but the financial resources, man hours and brain power poured into it were unprecedented.
2/
2/
Because of the coordinated global focus on studying this singular virus, the vaccine is probably better studied than many of the other vaccines felt to be safe and effective enough for widespread public use.
3/
3/
2. Pfizer and moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines. The science behind the mRNA vaccine has been in development for years. The specific coronavirus mRNA sequence is the last piece that was worked out this past year. Scientists plugged that into the pre-existing model
4/
4/
that had already been studied and researched extensively before 2020.
3. People have been getting the vaccine since March. While the human trials on a scale big enough for FDA approval started later, there are plenty of people out there who been vaccinated since March
5/
3. People have been getting the vaccine since March. While the human trials on a scale big enough for FDA approval started later, there are plenty of people out there who been vaccinated since March
5/
and we have not heard about dangerous long term vaccine effects. Side effects of the covid vaccine are anticipated to occur when they do for the flu and other vaccines, which is early after receiving it, and we have plenty of human trial data to show
6/
6/
that the vaccine has a similar early side effect profile to other vaccines we routinely get.
4. The vaccine underwent phase 1, 2, and 3 trials per FDA’s rigorous standards, which tend to be more risk averse than many other countries’ approval processes.
7/
4. The vaccine underwent phase 1, 2, and 3 trials per FDA’s rigorous standards, which tend to be more risk averse than many other countries’ approval processes.
7/
5. Pausing to think critically about the risks and benefits of the vaccine is okay. Fear mongering is not. We know that there are significant long terms effects of covid. The risks of the long term effects of covid are REAL; whereas...
8/
8/
the fear that there might be some unexpected long term effect of the vaccine is at this point only a fear. When it comes to comparing risks, I’ll take the risk of the vaccine over the risk of covid infection any day.
9/
9/
6. For me, getting the vaccine is as much about protecting myself as it is protecting my loved ones and my patients. The more people that get the vaccine, the better our chances are to kick covid’s ass.
/end
/end
