Read on Twitter
If you're looking for accurate information on the Covid Vaccines that are a bit better at explaining things that some of the, well, perfunctory stuff floating about , this is a thread for you. Understanding about vaccines starts with us. #Covid19 #publichealth #vaccines
Recognising also that there is an awful lot of misinformation, stuff that misses the mark, stuff that's just plain wrong or stuff that might as well have been written in Klingon for all the use it is, I have pulled together some resources that I think you can trust
For 2mins 59 seconds of your time, this is a brilliant starter Video
The US @CDCgov pages remain some of the best in terms of accuracy and simple presentation of information about vaccines https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html
This very short video series from @britsocimm is great on Q and As https://www.immunology.org/coronavirus/connect-coronavirus-public-engagement-resources/covid-19-vaccine-qa
This is a great infographic explaining the whole concept of immunity and vaccines (Took me ten slides to do what this @britsocimm infographic does in one. So I'm using this now as opposed to endless slides)
This infographic neatly explains the Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine
While this one summarises the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine really well
You can supplement that with this page here from @CDCgov which gives you a little more information on each type of vaccine . Just bear in mind the UK rollout programme is different https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html
It can be confusing trying to decipher great long lists of stuff that's in a vaccine Largely because manufacturers list everything even down the fact fact someone wore latex gloves in the lab while filling in a form one afternoon, to be comprehensive.) This is a simply graphic
And a really good blog here underpins that https://www.immunology.org/news/whats-in-vaccine
If your appetite is not yet quenched go to this site which is great but doesn't have quite as much on Covid as @britsocimm https://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/vk/ (Fun fact 1, dont worry about formaldehyde in vaccines, your body produces much more of it in a single day than is in any vaccine.)
Fun fact 2: If you're STILL worried about formaldehyde in vaccines, you shouldn't be. You get more from eating a pear. (And no, last time I looked there were very few pear related health incidents. And I don't think Pears are plotting to take over the world. )
Got questions about #pregnancy or #breastfeeding and Covid-19 vaccine? Then try this @tommys page here https://www.tommys.org/pregnancyhub/blogs-stories/covid-19-vaccine-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding and good Royal College page here https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/updated-advice-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-pregnancy-and-women-who-are-breastfeeding/
A really good Harvard Med School blog backs this up https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/wondering-about-covid-19-vaccines-if-youre-pregnant-or-breastfeeding-2021010721722
Living with #HIV and concerned about the vaccine? it's fine say @BritishHIVAssoc and @aidsmap but worth reading this in case you're at higher priority because of low CD4 count etc https://www.bhiva.org/SARS-CoV-2-vaccine-advice-for-adults-living-with-HIV-plain-english-version
Covid vaccines DO NOT cause infertility. This baseless nonsense has been around for years. There is no "mechanism" for vaccines to do so. A good read on where some of this myth came from is here https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210112/why-covid-vaccines-are-falsely-linked-to-infertility
If that doesn't help you, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ok, not a snappy name, but solid science) makes clear there is no base for any claim that the vaccine causes infertility here https://www.fertstertdialog.com/posts/covid-19-vaccine-and-infertility-baseless-claims-and-unfounded-social-media-panic
That's nearly it from your resident covid science anorak for today, but I really like this @britsocimm video series on immune memory https://www.immunology.org/coronavirus/connect-coronavirus-public-engagement-resources/immune-memory-and-the-coronavirus
And may I commend to you this Covid Vaccine Explainer from @ADPHUK ? https://www.adph.org.uk/2021/01/explainer-covid-19-vaccination/
When I have finished the latest series of webinars and Q and As for social care staff and BAME residents on vaccination, I will post my slides on slideshare for anyone to use, entirely free
