There are a lot of rumors circulating about the new COVID-19 vaccines. I’m here to break down the facts and debunk some of the myths so you can feel good about getting protected.
1. SARS-CoV-2 hijacks your cells!
Obviously, you know the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes COVID-19. Spikes made out of protein on the outside of the SARS-CoV-2 virus stick to the cells in your body, make their way inside your cells, and end up making you sick!
For a more detailed explanation of how this works see How Coronavirus Hijacks Your Cells.
2. Not to worry though...
There are three vaccines that have just been approved for use in the US!
2 mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) and 1 DNA vaccine (Johnson & Johnson).
3. Back up… what are vaccines?
The COVID-19 vaccines contain just those spike proteins from the outside of the virus so that your body makes antibodies against this spike! That way, if you are exposed to the virus, your body knows exactly how to deal with it and kill it because it's already seen something similar. There are a lot of different types of vaccines - see the article Are You Measley Confused About Vaccines? for more information on how vaccines work in general.
4. MYTH: Getting the vaccine gives you COVID-19.
FACT: The vaccine contains only a small piece of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and this piece alone is NOT infectious.
5. I know what DNA is but what the heck is mRNA?
DNA is used to make messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA is the genetic message used to create proteins. Remember the spikes on the SARS-CoV-2 virus we mentioned earlier? The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain mRNA with instructions to make the spike proteins. Your cells then produce these spike proteins and build memories of them. Then when your cells see the spike proteins again (like if you're exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus) they’re ready to fight it!
6. MYTH: The vaccine was rushed, so its effectiveness and safety can’t be trusted.
FACT: mRNA technology has also been around for a long time so this technology isn’t actually new. It's true that vaccines take 10-15 years to be developed. BUT an emergency use authorization was issued by the FDA to speed up the development of the vaccines WITHOUT skipping any steps. For a more detailed explanation Click Here.
7. Vaccine efficacy vs. effectiveness
Efficacy is how well a vaccine is at preventing ANY symptoms of the virus during clinical trials. In clinical trials, anyone who even gets a tiny sniffle from COVID-19 decreases the percent efficacy.
Effectiveness is the real number to pay attention to -- this tells you the vaccine's ability to prevent severe cases of the virus (which is what we really need to control!).
**make the numbers bigger instead of highlighted, make them red?
8. So what does this mean?
This means efficacy measurements of the vaccines understate the vaccine's effectiveness in the real world! What this means is that, even though some vaccines had lower efficacy measurements in clinical trials, all of them have very high effectiveness rates, and are all able to prevent severe cases of the virus. For a more in-depth explanation Click Here.
9. MYTH: If there are so many warnings about the limitations of the vaccine, I shouldn’t get it.
FACT: The vaccine will give you the protection you need to not get really sick from the virus if you are exposed! And as you now know, all the vaccines provide over ~85% effectiveness at preventing severe COVID-19!
10. Deaths are down
There was a more than 60% drop in nursing home deaths between late December, when the vaccine started to roll out, and early February!
11. MYTH: Getting the vaccine means I don’t have to wear a mask anymore.
FACT: We don’t know for sure if people who are vaccinated can still spread the virus. BUT-- if you are vaccinated and around other fully vaccinated people you can ditch the mask! See the CDC website for more on this.
And on the plus side, flu cases are WAY down because masks really do work at protecting you from germs!
12. Now you’re educated on what it means to be vaccinated!
13. References
CDC (2020a). COVID-19 and Your Health.
CDC (2020b). COVID-19 Vaccination.
CDC (2021a). Information about the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.
CDC (2021b). Information about the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.
Hu, B., Guo, H., Zhou, P., and Shi, Z.-L. (2020). Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and
COVID-19. Nat. Rev. Microbiol.
Network, T.L. (2020). What’s Going On in This Graph? | Estimated Time for Covid-19
Vaccine. N. Y. Times.
Oliver, S.E. (2020). The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim
Recommendation for Use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine — United States, December 2020. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 69.
Pardi, N., Hogan, M.J., Porter, F.W., and Weissman, D. (2018). mRNA vaccines — a new
era in vaccinology. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 17, 261–279.
(2020). Vaccine Effectiveness: How Well Do the Flu Vaccines Work? | CDC.
(2021). Comparing three Covid-19 vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, J&J.
COVID-19 Vaccines: Myth Versus Fact.
How Coronavirus Hijacks Your Cells - The New York Times.
How the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine Works - The New York Times.
Nursing Home Deaths Plummet - The New York Times.
Real-World Evidence Confirms High Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
and Profound Public Health Impact of Vaccination One Year After Pandemic
Declared | pfpfizeruscom.
Transcription, Translation and Replication.
Underselling the Vaccine - The New York Times.
Vaccine Development, Testing, and Regulation | History of Vaccines.
Vaccine Types | Vaccines.
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