01-06-2021, 10:58 PM
(01-06-2021, 10:28 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: @"embellisher" Without derailing the thread, can you give a concise summary of your feelings on the vaccines? My Dad and his wife just got them, so I imagine the moment when we all must decide is drawing nearer.
Sorry I know this isn’t directed to me, but I’m going to weigh in.
I’ve already gotten my 1st dose of the Pfizer vaccine and will get my 2nd next week. Really no side effects on the first, and I can let people know about the 2nd if they are interested.
As far as the vaccines go, for both the Pfizer and Moderna that are currently available, I think the evidence is quite good for efficacy and they are safe. What will be most interesting is the continual monitoring of the trial recipients to know how long immunity last, or are we going to need future boosters.
Most people concerns come from the fact that these two types of vaccines are using a new technology, however studies using mRNA vaccines in animals have been going on for awhile and have been safe. For people concerned that it will alter DNA, that’s not possible as mRNA is only a messenger for cells to make a specific protein which antibodies are then made against. After that, mRNA is rapidly degraded and gone.
People may not want to inject a foreign genetic material which is reasonable if you look at it very simply like that, however the thing to recognize is that this mRNA is only a small fragment of all of the mRNA would make when it infects you to build more virus particles. So if you get the vaccine and become immune (or close to it) you do get some mRNA in you that you wouldn’t normally have, but if you actually get COVID then you get all that and more.
The next vaccines to likely be approved are from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca and both of these use Adenovirus vectors. TBH, I do need to read up more about this, I just haven’t done so because they were coming later so it was not going to be one that I personally got, but I’ll eventually have to counsel patients on it so happy to share more thoughts on it as I learn more.
Lastly the 5th one likely to be in the pipeline is called Novavax and will be more like a more typical protein based vaccine using a custom made Spike protein. All 3 of these, assuming they get approval, will likely be arriving within the next 1-3 months so we’ll all be able to learn more about them in the near future.
Sorry again since I know this wasn’t directed to me, but hoping I could be helpful.