Debunking Myths around What to Expect after getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

As Americans began receiving the Pfizer vaccine this week and the Moderna vaccine is under consideration for emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the unprecedented speed of vaccine development has created many misconceptions and fears among American citizens worldwide.  As side effects and myths are being shared, there is a lack of clarity on the truth behind the COVID-19 vaccine development, and it is challenging to separate fact from fiction.  The American Association of Retired Persons recently released a detailed article highlighting the five most common myths about the vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine development truth.  

Highlights from the report include that individuals who have had COVID-19 might still need to get a vaccine despite the previous infection because early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last long. Health officials are committed to continued research about natural immunity and have established plans to keep the public informed. While innate immunity is up for debate, there are still some questions regarding the vaccine's long-term effectiveness.  For now, health officials have no clear conclusions on if the vaccine will need to be administered annually or if the boosters will be spaced with different time-period requirements like a tetanus shot.  One thing that the article says is for sure is that face masks are still a requirement for us all.  This is because even with a vaccine, it will take several months for most Americans to receive the vaccine and the booster shot, which means that community spread is still the greatest challenge of this virus. 

Regarding vaccine development, neither the Moderna nor Pfizer vaccine used the live COVID-19 virus during development. Instead, it used scientific techniques to train the human body to recognize and fight the coronavirus by introducing a coronavirus-like protein to the body.  This causes the human body to identify these proteins shouldn't be there and encourages anti-body production to fight them off and train the immune system to establish memory to protect against future infection.  This is not to be misunderstood as DNA alterations, as the vaccine never enters the cell's nucleus where DNA is kept.  

While the article still highlights uncertainties about the vaccine's effectiveness, it undoubtedly shows that the science and process of the development has been well trusted by public officials and scientists worldwide, pointing toward what could be described as a medical miracle just in time for the holiday season. 

What to expect after getting a COVID-19 vaccine?

According to expert epidemiologist and executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center William Moss (John Hopkins, 2020):

•           Side effects start within 12 to 24 hours.

•           Common side effects include soreness at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, joint pain, and maybe even a fever.

•           Side effects could differ from those of other types of vaccines.

•           Consult a medical professional if you experience side effects different from those described or if redness/tenderness increases after 24 hours.

•           If you are exposed to SARS-CoV-2 between your first and second dose, it's possible you could develop COVID-19. Even once you have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, it will still be necessary to continue practicing public health mitigation strategies like masks and distancing until the pandemic is under control, until we know more about how vaccines prevent transmission.

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