We talked with epidemiologist and all-around great guy Dr. Rene Najera @EpiRen about #COVID19 vaccine myths and facts—to both counter misinformation, & also answer community members’ questions. Some of the things we covered (a thread!):

http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/2020/12/we-asked-epidemiologist-covid-19.html

#VaccinesWork 1/

Dr. Najera’s particulars include (but are not limited to): a doctor of public health degree from Johns Hopkins and a master's in public health, in epidemiology & also in biostatistics. He also works for a large DC-area county health department. So, yes, he knows his stuff. 2/

As COVID vaccine prioritization is on everyone’s mind: They want to vaccinate everyone who can be vaccinated, so "Prioritization was done with the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is a CDC committee of scientists and citizens.” 3/

"The ACIP looked at who was getting the coronavirus the most. Not just the numbers, but also in rates and proportions. Who was dying from it the most.

"The ACIP also looked at who was driving the epidemic, because that is not necessarily the same as the people who are dying.” 4/

“The group that was driving the epidemic, in terms of spreading the virus around, was mostly Latino workers who can't stay at home because they're low wage employees, who cannot skip two weeks of work, and are living paycheck to paycheck…” 5/

“…[Latino workers] have to go out into the community. They do housekeeping. They do manual labor. They also work in the care industry, including of elderly patients. They are not necessarily being affected as severely, but they certainly are being affected.” 6/

"If you're a low wage worker, you're more likely to live in crowded housing. You're more likely to not have access to medical care. That also figures into the equation of wanting the priority [COVID vaccine] group to be people who are being affected socially.” 7/

"Native Americans are also being affected in a very severe way [&] are also towards the top of the list. [As are] the critical infrastructure healthcare workers, and police and firefighters. I'm sure the military is also going to be getting it pretty soon.” 8/

When it comes to advocating for people with disabilities to get COVID-19 vaccine priority, Dr. Najera reminds us that "The local and state governments are going to be the ones making the actual decisions as to who gets the vaccine. And that's where advocacy should come in.” 9/

Dr. Najera recommends reminding officials what specific COVID risks are to PWD, like overcrowding—as when "you have a person, plus their caregivers in a home situation. Even if the caregivers go to another house overnight, you have 18 hrs with a lot of people in one place.” 10/

Also, plain language access for COVID vaccine information is not only a disability issue. Dr. Najera prioritizes accessible materials to include non-English-proficient folk like immigrants, as well as those who weren’t educated in or don’t grasp basic biology. 11/

Dr. Najera wants to make it clear that COVID-19 vaccines are NOT rushed. And if it seems that way,
"it is because mRNA vaccines haven't been in the public consciousness. But this technology goes back about 20 years, for cancer and HIV and other vaccines.” 12/

Dr. Najera understands that people can have questions about the COVID19 vaccine because "when something like this vaccine technology is new & it's fast and it comes and it doesn't match our experience, we can get scared of it—[but] it is just adapting previous technologies.” 13/

Also, "If you have the time & patience to watch the entire FDA broadcast of the COVID19 vaccine discussion, the scientists were asking very, very pointed questions about safety & effectiveness. And when you look at all that information, you see that the safety is remarkable.” 14/

Dr. Najera wants people who are worried about the COVID19 vaccine to remember that the effort behind the vaccine, the “health departments and institutions are not just the buildings: There's mothers and fathers and uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters working there…” 15/

“…And we have people who we care about, people who are from all walks of life. […] And we are doing [the COVID19 vaccine] and discussing issues with openness, and also we live in an era now that if we notice an issue or shenanigans, we'll put it up on Twitter.” 16/

Also, anti-vax BS is not new. "In the early 1700s, Onesimus, an African slave in Boston, told minister Cotton Mather about giving people smallpox under controlled situations, & people survived smallpox because of this inoculation. And then anti-vaxxers firebombed his house.” 17/

Anti-vaxxers are "are very loud, they like to make a big deal out of things, and they like to pretend like they have an army of followers behind them when they really don't. There are more people who are willing to to listen and to follow the advice of experts.” #VaccinesWork 18/

When it comes to distinguishing between normal post-vaccine reactions and allergic ones, Dr. Najera reminds us that vaccines put your immune system into overdrive. Therefore it is logical for people to feel run down & even feverish after a vaccine—though YMMV re: intensity. 19/

However, if you have valid questions about getting the COVID19 vaccine—like allergies, or a medical condition—PLEASE talk about that with a medical professional, even a pharmacist. Do NOT look to internet randos for medical advice, including on vaccines. 20/

Also, Dr. Najera stresses that while, "everybody seems to think that we want to give a vaccine to everybody. No, no, no. We want to give the vaccine to everybody who CAN get it. And that provides herd immunity, which helps protect the people who cannot have vaccines.” 21/

Also, "The reason why the COVID-19 vaccine is not going to mutate the DNA is because it never makes it into the nucleus of the cell. That's it.” Just as your cells don’t mutate when you eat meat, which also contains a lot of genetic material. 22/

"Our bodies are great at not letting the mRNA from other cells do anything to our cells. And with [the COVID] vaccine, [the mRNA] goes into the cells, but not the nucleus of the cells, because the cell would rather die before letting anything into the nucleus.” 23/

The COVID19 vaccine is not a live vaccine, which means "we don't need to grow it in the lab. We have just the genetic code, and that's enough to make the vaccine.” It also means we don't expose lab or manufacturing workers to the virus, or have to worry about lab accidents. 24/

Also, it’s understandable that some people are wary of vaccines for non-BS reasons, such as "people who are fleeing their own governments or have been abused by governments. And then the U.S. Public health system is run by governments, and so naturally they mistrust it.” 25/

And with "the African American community, having doubts [because Tuskegee etc.] is understandable. My best reply is that we have gone very, very far in ethics, and in ensuring ethical treatment of people. We're not perfect, but it's much, much better than it used to be.” 26/

“…it's very hard to get over what is centuries of mistreatment and injustice [against African Americans]. And I completely understand that, I will never have any judgment against people who are skeptical, or even cynical to be honest, of vaccines because of that history.” 27/

In regards to racialized medical injustices, “We've come a long way. We still have a long way to go. But we can make strides. & just 1 is that we recognize that minority communities have been hit very hard by COVID-19, & so they are being prioritized to receive this vaccine.” 28/

TPGA: "Does a COVID-19 vaccine mean that we can stop wearing masks and washing your hands?"

Dr. Najera: "No, no, no.[…] Because it's not perfect, and because not everybody's going to take it, and because it's going to take a while for immunity to develop.” 29/

So, now that we have a COVID19 vaccine, when can we get back to "normal"?

Dr. Najera: "My best guess is the fall of 2021. And that is if everything goes according to plan. But we're going to have a U.S. administration that is pro science & pro-evidence, and so that'll help.” 30/

"I'd like ppl to be very mindful that ppl with intellectual disabilities, or who are non-speaking, know that something's going on with this pandemic, because they feel the stress, they see the stress. I'd want to transmit my hope about this vaccine to them.” TY, Dr. Najera. 31/31