I have received a lot of questions from my patients, friends, and family members about the new COVID-19 vaccines. So, I thought I should write a short blog about what I have learned about the vaccine and what I think in an attempt to answer some of these questions.
Webinar Summary
On December 12th, 2020, I attended a COVID-19 Vaccine webinar by Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, an Infectious Disease expert at Yale and one of the leading researchers on the Pfizer vaccine trials. It was a fantastic opportunity to clear questions about the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine. A lot of questions were addressed and answered.
Here is a summary of what was addressed in this Webinar mostly answers to common questions asked.
At this point even though they have some data on pregnant women, as is usually the case, it is not recommended for pregnant women due to lack of long-term data. The studies are still ongoing. However, some people in the population of 70,000 plus people included in the various vaccine trials, despite warnings prior to recruitment in the study for participants not to get pregnant while on the program, some did get pregnant after the first or second immunization dose. They were not released from the study, as they are now their pregnancy population (because they already got the vaccine anyway), so they are still part of the studies, which are ongoing and have now lasted for 9 months. So far, no adverse effects or pregnancy loss documented.
Immunocompromised people including HIV patients are included in the study. There are no known contraindications for the immunocompromised like those on chemotherapy for cancer but there is question about whether they can generate enough immunity to protect them from infection and if they can hold onto the immunity which is a question yet to be answered
Even in the general population there is still the question of how long the immunity will last. So far in the study population it has lasted couple of months, and the study is planned to last at least 2 years. As for natural immunity for those who have had the illness, ongoing studies show their antibodies are lasting only about 2-3 months so far. Therefore, the vaccine is doing much better. The study population also includes those who have had the COVID-19 illness and recovered. They also got the vaccines in the trials and, so far, no advantage noticed over those who never had the illness that got the vaccine in the trials.
About whether mRNA vaccine will change Human DNA—which is a story that conspiracy theorists have been carrying around—the answer is NO. mRNA disappears and is destroyed within a few hours of injection. It only serves to give the message to the body to start making antibodies against the virus.
Why an mRNA vaccine? Faster to develop and easier to produce very rapidly in large quantities. This is not a new concept and has been studied for over 20 years. mRNA does not and cannot incorporate human DNA. It disintegrates within a few hours after getting the vaccine. It cannot enter the nucleus or incorporate human genome. The HIV virus does that, which is probably why it has not been possible to get a vaccine against HIV so far.
The con against this vaccine is that mRNA vaccines are unstable because mRNA disintegrates fast, so it must be stored and transported at ultra-cold temperatures. This will be the challenge with distribution.
Side effect profile so far for this vaccine is the same as other previous vaccines. More vaccines for COVID-19 are expected soon.
My Opinion:
I will get the vaccine as soon as it is available to me. I believe this virus is getting tougher and producing more unprecedented symptoms and complications. The second wave seems worse and symptoms more diverse even though we know better how to treat it. I have seen healthy asymptomatic people without comorbidities and those who even survived hospitalization suddenly make a turn for the worse and die from the complications post recovery such as having a stroke even 3 weeks to 1 month after supposed recovery and testing negative for the virus. The case of the Houston doctor that died recently from stroke after he was discharged from hospital is an example.
Obviously, people with history of anaphylaxis and multi drug allergies are always advised with every immunization and drugs to approach with caution. I would not be first in line if I belonged to that group. You should ask further questions and discuss with your physician first.
Everyone needs to continue wearing masks, social distancing, and frequent handwashing. This is our new normal. It is healthy, it is lifesaving, and it has come to stay.
Christie Egbuchunam, MD, MPH
Board Certified in Family Medicine
