In the past few weeks, leading pharmaceutical companies have announced one after another that the COVID vaccines they have developed are highly effective in clinical trials. At the same time, surveys are coming out showing that a significant part of the public, including some medical staff, are hesitant about and will even refrain from being vaccinated, at least in the first stage of the mass vaccination campaign. To respond to these concerns and avoid the spread of "fake news," I have chosen to address a few of the common myths about the safety of the vaccines.
Myth: Natural immunity offers better protection than an engineered vaccine, so it's better to contract coronavirus and be made naturally immune.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The decision to intentionally infect oneself with the virus in order to become immune to it is a dangerous one. We cannot predict who will be asymptomatic and who will wind up in intensive care. On the other hand, the participants in the three stages of clinical trials of the various vaccines are not showing any serious side effects. The efficacy of the vaccines can reach 95% -- not any lower than "natural immunity," and possibly even higher.
Myth: The COVID vaccines were developed hastily and did not go through the necessary stages, so they could be harmful.
The short timeline for the development of the vaccines was mostly the result of technological advancement, information sharing, and support from governments that allowed companies to invest unlimited manpower and resources in developing their vaccines. Sharing information shortened the timeline, too. For example, the genetic structure of coronavirus was published within a month of the pandemic's outbreak, compared to the more than six months it took to publish the same information about the SARS virus in 2002.
Myth: The COVID vaccines include parts of the protein that comes from the virus, so it could make people who get vaccinated sick.
The vaccines are based on proteins that originate from the virus or on parts of the virus' genetic material. The whole virus is not part of the vaccines, and therefore the vaccines cannot cause COVID.
Myth: It's better to vaccinate only the at-risk population, and allow young people to contract the virus naturally.
The pandemic is spread by infection in the population at large, including young people who are asymptomatic. Over 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to create herd immunity and stop the pandemic. In addition, even young, healthy people can become seriously ill with COVID, and they need to be protected, too. However, young people will be last in line for the vaccine.
Myth: Not enough time has passed to evaluate potential side effects of the vaccines.
During the three stages of clinical trials for the vaccines, researchers tracked side effects among the vaccine recipients. When there was any fear of serious side effects, such as spinal infections, among recipients of the vaccine, the trials were stopped immediately until it could be verified that the effect was the result of an illness, not the vaccine. Side effects were monitored by expert bodies independent of the pharmaceutical companies. At the end of the development process, the vaccines need to be approved by the authorities in the US, Europe, and Israel.
The vaccines are new, and their possible side effects will be monitored for years. But the same is true for the people who contract COVID. Some of the patients suffer side effects long after they recover, such as fatigue, loss of their sense of taste and smell, and more. Concerns about the vaccines are natural and understandable, but the alternative – contracting COVID – is more dangerous. I am calling on the leaders of Israel's health care system to serve as an example and be vaccinated. We are responsible for the public putting its faith in vaccines.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
