If you are not considered high risk from Covid do you still need the vaccine?
Were the trials for the Covid vaccine rushed and important steps skipped?
Does the vaccine make you sick?
Does the vaccine include a tracking device?
Can the vaccine cause infertility in women?
Who can get the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine?
What is a vaccination?
Vaccination is a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting people against harmful diseases, before they come into contact with them. It uses your body’s natural defenses to build resistance to specific infections and makes your immune system stronger.
Vaccines train your immune system to create antibodies, just as it does when it’s exposed to a disease. However, because vaccines contain only killed or weakened forms of germs like viruses or bacteria, they do not cause the disease or put you at risk of its complications. Most vaccines are given by an injection, but some are given orally (by mouth) or sprayed into the nose.
If you are not considered high risk from Covid do you still need the vaccine?
Regardless of your risk, you can still contract the infection and spread it to others, so it’s important you get vaccinated. We need as many eligible adults as possible get the vaccine. It’s not only to
protect you but your family and community as well.
Were the trials for the Covid vaccine rushed and important steps skipped?
The exceptional speed of COVID-19 vaccine development is due to years of prior research on other viruses, including coronaviruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Scientists weren’t starting their research from scratch. Vaccine trials often take years because they have to recruit lots of people to take part to be able to evaluate safety and efficacy. The Covid trials moved faster because governments made money available and tens of thousands of people came forward to take part in the trials very quickly.
Does the vaccine make you sick?
Some people may feel symptoms such as fever or muscle aches after the vaccines, but those are due to your body’s immune response, not an infection. It is not a bad thing because that means that your body is producing an inflammatory response to the vaccine, which is what we want. There will always be things that happen after a vaccination that would have happened anyway, but the vaccine comes under suspicion. The vaccine can only be blamed if more people start having a problem after vaccination than were having it before. And this is not the case at all.
What if you have allergies?
As with any medication, some people may experience an allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine. This risk is extremely small. To be on the safe side, health care workers may ask you to remain 15 minutes after your vaccination so they can monitor you for an allergic reaction and take action should one occur.
You may experience side effects from a vaccine, but these are not the same as an allergic reaction and are not dangerous. Common side effects include pain and swelling in your arm, where you got your shot, as well as fever, chills, fatigue or headache. These side effects are normal and will disappear after a few days.
Do vaccines cause autism?
There is no evidence of any link between vaccines and autism or autistic disorders. This has been demonstrated in many studies conducted across very large populations. The 1998 study which raised concerns about a possible link between measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism was later found to be seriously flawed and fraudulent. The paper was subsequently retracted by the journal that published it, and the doctor lost his medical license. Unfortunately, its publication created fear that led to dropping immunization rates in some countries, and subsequent outbreaks of these diseases.
Will vaccine alter our DNA?
Some Covid vaccines use authorization contain messenger RNA (mRNA), which instructs cells to make the “spike protein” found on the new coronavirus. When the immune system recognizes this protein, it builds an immune response by creating antibodies — teaching the body how to protect against future infection. The mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA (genetic material) is kept. The body gets rid of the mRNA soon after it’s finished using the instructions.
Does the vaccine include a tracking device?
The COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain a microchip. Therefore, they can’t track your movements, collect your personal information or enter anything at all into a database.
This myth took off when Microsoft founder Bill Gates mentioned the creation of digital certificates of vaccine records. The technology he referred to has nothing to do with a microchip. Microchips play no role in the development, testing or distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
Can the vaccine cause infertility in women?
The false infertility claim was promoted on the social media blog “Health & Money News.” The blog is known for its conspiracy theories — claims that lack evidence to back them up. These include claims that the coronavirus is not real and that wearing face masks causes irreversible brain damage.
Who can get the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine?
The NHS is currently offering the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine to people most at risk from coronavirus. You can find out if you are eligible now on this page of the NHS website.
This information has been taken from the World Health Organisation, Science Dept University of California, NHS UK.
More information
Find out more about the Covid-19 vaccination on the NHS website.
Read this opinion piece by local resident Mrs Miller.