Non-biased Vaccine Update
Rumors and myths of the COVID-19 vaccine have been circulating before it even became available. After hearing all of these conversations, I wanted to do some research for myself. This article will address what we know, what is still being researched, the benefits, and crushing the myths about the vaccines.
What we know:
There are currently three different COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the United States: Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson. Moderna and Pfizer are a two-dose vaccine and Johnson and Johnson is a single dose. Full vaccination occurs two weeks after the last dose.
The current age range for Pfizer is 16 years and up while Moderna and Johnson and Johnson are 18 years and up. As far as side effects, the CDC says that headaches, fevers, or nausea are normal. Hannah Wells had this to say about her vaccine side effects, “For the first one, I had a headache and I was a little dizzy.” She also reported a “sore arm and a low fever” for the second vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccines were approved by the FDA for emergency use in December of 2020. For the FDA to approve this vaccine even for emergency use, they must come to the conclusion that the known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks.
What is still being researched:
Though scientists and medical professionals are working everyday to get us more information, there are a few things that are still unknown. Scientists are still learning how well the vaccine keeps people from spreading the disease and how long the vaccine will last for. They are also still researching herd immunity and when that will be achieved.
Benefits of Receiving the Vaccine:
According to the CDC, once you have been fully vaccinated, you no longer have to quarantine if you have been near someone with COVID. You can also gather outdoors without wearing a mask and indoors with other fully vaccinated people without a mask and without distancing. This means, hypothetically, the mask mandates will begin to lift if enough people get vaccinated.
Myths:
Although it is likely that either dose of the vaccine will cause some sort of aches and pains, these vaccines do not contain live COVID-19 strands, so you will not contract COVID from the vaccine. If someone tests positive for COVID shortly after they’ve received the vaccine, it is likely that they had the virus before they received the shot.
One of the biggest concerns of the skeptics is the time span that the vaccine was produced. The COVID vaccine was made in under a year while other vaccines can take 10-15 years to make. However, there are many different strands of coronaviruses that scientists have known about and have been studying for over 50 years, so they did not start from scratch last year. It became their top priority.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html
Katie is a senior and a third-year member of the Crimsonian staff. She is a varsity cheerleader and on the competition team. She participates in orchestra,...