We’re now in March of 2021, right at a year since things started to get real here in the US, and we’re finally seeing a little point of light at the end of the COVID tunnel. That point is the COVID19 vaccine. As more companies have gotten their vaccines approved, more doses have been manufactured, and more shots have gone into more arms, we can almost sense the return of some level of normalcy to our lives. But despite this incredibly hopeful new development in the COVID fight, many people are still on the fence about getting this vaccine. Today, let’s take a deeper dive into this thing- What is this vaccine? What does it do? Why do we care? And why are so many people afraid to get it?!

What is this vaccine, and what does it do?

Well, the answer depends on which company’s vaccine we’re talking about. Right now, there are three companies producing COVID vaccines approved for use in the US- Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. 

Two of these, Pfizer and Moderna, are very similar and work the same way. These are called mRNA vaccines. Here’s how they work- The injection contains mRNA, which is like a little instruction sheet for your immune cells. When a certain type of immune cell gobbles up the mRNA, it reads the instructions and produces a “spike protein”. This is a harmless replica of one of the proteins found on the outside capsule of the COVID virus. The mRNA instructions then get broken down and disposed of. The antibody-producing immune cells notice the new spike protein and realize they don’t like the looks of it, so they start pumping out antibodies against it. Now your immune system has “seen” something that looks like the COVID virus, so if you are ever exposed to the actual virus, your system is primed and ready to attack!

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine works a little differently. With this one, instead of putting the mRNA instructions into your body, they package the spike protein instructions into a different, completely harmless virus, called a “viral vector”. This is not the COVID virus! The harmless viral vector enters your immune cells and delivers the instructions. Then they start making the spike protein we mentioned before, and Boom! Your immune system is ready for action against the real COVID virus.

Who can get a vaccine?

That depends on where you are. Depending on which state you live in, you may or may not qualify to get a vaccine. If you’re a healthcare worker or a resident of a long term care facility, you can pretty much get one anywhere in the US. Otherwise, states are all over the place with this. In Alabama as of today, 3/24/21, vaccines are available to anyone 55 and older, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, those ages 16 to 64 with high risk medical conditions, as well as health care providers, law enforcement, firefighters, and nursing home residents. President Biden has directed states to open eligibility to all Americans by May 1, so if you’re not in a group that’s currently up for vaccination, you shouldn’t have long to wait.

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Ok, I got vaccinated. Now what?

Congratulations! You’ve gotten us one step closer to ending this viral nightmare! If you have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or just the one shot of the Johnson & Johnson, you still need to wait two weeks to be considered immune. After those two weeks, PARTY! Just kidding, you should continue to practice safe social distancing and wear a mask in public. Why? Because, as much as we might like to think of these vaccines as a complete cure for the COVID pandemic, we need to pump the brakes a bit. The mRNA vaccines are about 95% effective at preventing COVID infection, and J&J’s protection comes in at about 72%. So just because you got the vaccine, doesn’t mean you can’t still spread this virus to your elderly grandparents or the immune deficient person in line at the grocery store. Plus, it’s just not nice to go and freak everyone out by not wearing a mask right now. 

It’s not 100% effective?!

Pump those brakes again. While none of the vaccines are 100% effective in preventing you from getting the COVID virus, all three seem to be darn near 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and death! This is the outcome we all really care about. Sure, you might get the virus after being vaccinated, but you almost certainly will not get sick enough to need hospital treatment. That’s huge!

But I read on Facebook that the vaccines are killing people!

Ok, we had to get to this eventually. Since the vaccine rollout began, and even before then, one fear-mongering conspiracy theorist after another has come out of the woodwork to tell us how dangerous these vaccines are, how many people they’re killing, and exactly what Bill Gates wants to do with our DNA. Let me state this loud and clear- These vaccines are both safe and effective, and unless you have a specific medical reason not to, you should talk to your doctor about getting one! With that out of the way, let’s address some of the most common concerns surrounding the vaccines.

1. They were developed so fast! How can we know they’re safe? Yes, these vaccines were developed in record time. But they were still tested extensively for safety and efficacy through proven, time tested processes that were put in place years ago in order to respond to a pandemic just like this.
2. What if the vaccine gives me COVID? Take a look back up the page at how these vaccines work. There is no COVID virus in any of the COVID vaccines. None. They absolutely cannot give you COVID.
3. What about severe reactions, like anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis has been reported in about 0.001% of people receiving the Pfizer vaccine and 0.0003% of those receiving the Moderna version. So far, I can find zero reports of anaphylaxis after the J&J shot. These rates are excellent, but of course folks who are allergic to any component of these vaccines should avoid them.
4. I heard they’re giving people blood clots! An alarm was raised in Europe when a few people developed blood clots in their lungs soon after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine (not available in the US at this time). After thorough investigation, it turns out that the rate of blood clots after getting the vaccine was actually lower than the baseline rate of the general population! We always have to remember that correlation does not equal causation. In other words, just because B happened after A, doesn’t mean A caused B. There is no evidence that any of these vaccines cause blood clots.
5. But what about Bill Gates, 5G, and the God gene? I’m not even going there. I’ve managed employees before, and I can tell you that it’s hard to get 5 people moving in the same direction. If you think a few billionaires could orchestrate a worldwide conspiracy involving thousands of scientists, researchers, politicians, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and media personalities with the goal of population control or getting people to stop going to church, or whatever the latest theory is, then I’ve got nothing for you.

In conclusion

That about wraps it up. The take home message here is that the COVID vaccines are safe, effective, and important if we ever want to get back to life as we knew it before 2020. I got mine as soon as I could. While I’m not giving anyone personal medical advice here, I strongly suggest that anyone eligible for this vaccine talk to their doctor about getting this thing done.

-Kyle Adams, MD

Dr. Adams practices Family Medicine at Auburn Direct Primary Care. He is actively accepting new patients, and we would love to have you join the ADPC family. If you’re ready to get started, click Here to enroll with us now!