What would you like to know
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – WLBT has gathered information from many sources to answer some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. If you have any questions that we have not answered, please email us at [email protected].
If you live in Mississippi, you’re going to have to wait a bit. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) recently stopped allowing patients to book appointments, saying the current vaccine stockpile has already been announced. The state will likely start allowing people to make appointments again in mid-February.
MSDH provides updated list on its website. Some 52,000 vaccine appointments have been made over the next two weeks.
MSDH: “Many studies over the past few months have been conducted extensively… The COVID-19 vaccine has gone through the same rigorous process of evaluating safety and efficacy as any other vaccine approved for use by the FDA.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Clearances (EUA) for two COVID-19 vaccines that have been shown to be safe and effective, according to data from the manufacturers and the results of large clinical trials. These data demonstrate that the known and potential benefits of this vaccine outweigh the known and potential disadvantages of being infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “
A graph showing the vaccination percentages by state is shown below:
MSDH: “No, you CANNOT get COVID-19 from the vaccine.”
CDC: “MRNA vaccines do not contain live virus and do not present a risk of causing disease in the person vaccinated. “
CDC: “MRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ in our body. Not mRNA vaccines.
CDC: “COVID-19 mRNA vaccines instruct our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the ‘spike protein.’ The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID -19.
“COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are given to the muscle of the upper arm. Once the instructions (mRNA) are inside the immune cells, the cells use them to make the piece of protein. After the piece of protein is made, the cell breaks down the instructions and gets rid of it. Then the cell displays the piece of protein on its surface. Our immune system recognizes that protein is out of place and begins to build an immune response and make antibodies.
MSDH: “Like most vaccines, you should expect some pain and fatigue for up to a day after vaccination, a sign that the body is developing an appropriate immune response.
WebMD: “People should expect to have side effects, similar to those that some people report after receiving an vaccine against influenza … Experts said they expected temporary side effects such as pain in the arm where you received the vaccine, tired, body aches and possibly fever.
Bloomberg goes on to state that “the evidence does not suggest a link … (and that) the Florida-based doctor (deceased) developed a rare disease called severe thrombocytopenia which decreases the body’s ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding. . . “
(WLBT will update this information as more data becomes available.)
At an MSMA meeting on January 15, public health official Dr Thomas Dobbs said he saw one person have a severe reaction and the woman had a history of severe allergies. Dobbs said: “(She) had marks on her arm, that was it.”
At the same meeting, state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said he had heard of three or four cases of severe reaction in Mississippi. However, he had not heard of any case of anaphylaxis.
NBC News: As of Jan. 6, the CDC had reported that at least 21 people had had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the first injection. “The reaction, called anaphylaxis, can be life threatening and should be treated immediately with an emergency injection of epinephrine, often given via EpiPen.”
MSDH says that you should NOT take the vaccine if you are allergic to any of its ingredients and that you should talk to your doctor before getting the vaccine if you have a history of anaphylaxis.
CDC: “After authorization or approval of a vaccine, many vaccine safety surveillance systems monitor adverse events (possible side effects). This continuous monitoring can detect adverse events that may not have been observed in clinical trials. If an unexpected adverse event is observed, experts quickly investigate it to assess whether it is a genuine safety issue. “
The CDC uses a combination of systems, including V-safe, a “new smartphone-based post-vaccination health checker for people who receive COVID-19 vaccines, (which uses) text messaging and CDC web surveys. to register with vaccinated after vaccination against COVID-19.
The center also uses the National Healthcare Safety Network to monitor what is happening in acute and long-term healthcare facilities, as well as information from major insurance companies and databases of healthcare professionals. payers.
MSDH: “COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies build immunity against the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to contract the disease. Different types of vaccines work in different ways to provide protection, but with all types of vaccines the body is left with a supply of “memory” T cells as well as B cells that will remember how to fight this virus out. the future. . “
MSDH: “It usually takes a few weeks for the body to produce T cells and B cells after vaccination. “
WebMD: “It happens” about a week after the second dose, “says Naor Bar-Zeev, Ph.D., associate professor of international health and vaccinology and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School International Vaccine Access Center. of Public Health. “
WebMD: “The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are believed to be about 50% effective after a single dose. “
BBC News: “The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, which began rolling out in the UK last month, offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19. “
CDC: “Vaccine efficacy and vaccine efficacy measure the proportional reduction in cases in people vaccinated. “
The conversation: “The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine reports 90% efficacy, which means that – of 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 – their vaccine prevented symptoms of COVID-19 for 90% of those who received the vaccine compared to placebo. “
John Hopkins: “A few people who have had COVID-19 have apparently had a second, often milder, case of the disease, and researchers are exploring what that means in terms of the duration of immunity to the coronavirus. Vaccine developers are looking for ways to increase the effectiveness of a vaccine so that it provides longer immune protection than a natural infection with the coronavirus. “
Pfizer: On January 9, Pfizer Inc. announced that its vaccine protects against mutated strains of the virus.
MSDH: “Yes. Due to the serious health risks associated with COVID-19 and the possibility that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, (the) vaccine should be offered to you whether or not you have previously had an infection with COVID-19. COVID-19. ”
CDC: “At present, experts do not know how long a person is protected from a new disease after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity acquired by infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests that natural immunity may not last very long.
MSDH: “You must wait until the end of the isolation period (10 days after symptoms appear or 10 days after taking the test if you have no symptoms). You shouldn’t have a fever and if you have any symptoms they should have improved significantly before you get the vaccine.
MSDH: “Pregnant and lactating women and those who are immunocompromised may receive the vaccine; however, it is recommended that you consult your health care provider.
MSDH states that people 16 years of age and older are eligible for the Pfizer vaccination, while people 18 years and older are eligible for the Moderna vaccine.
Deborah Fuller, a vaccine expert at the University of Washington, told The Associated Press no. She said it is not yet known whether the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines protect people from infection or just the symptoms of the virus. This means that vaccinated people could still be infected and transmit the virus, although this is likely at a much lower rate, she explained.
World Health Organization: “The percentage of people who need to be immunized to gain herd immunity varies with each disease. For example, herd immunity to measles requires that about 95% of the population be vaccinated. The remaining 5% will be protected by the fact that measles will not spread among those vaccinated. For polio, the threshold is around 80%. The proportion of the population that must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to start inducing herd immunity is not known.
Copyright 2021 WLBT. All rights reserved.