Dr. Jay Dobkin and Dr. Ritchell Dignam Explain Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine
Frontline spoke with Dr. Jay Dobkin, Chief Medical Officer of VNSNY CHOICE and a communicable disease expert, and Dr. Ritchell Dignam, Chief Medical Officer for VNSNY Provider Services, about why it’s more important than ever that you get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as you are eligible. Here are seven essential things they’d like you to know about the COVID-19 vaccine, and why you shouldn’t wait to get it.
- COVID-19 vaccines are among the most effective vaccines in history.
In a study of 30,000 people, the Moderna vaccine (the vaccine used by VNSNY) was found to be nearly 95% effective—a remarkable number in the fight against COVID-19. The Pfizer vaccine showed similar results, and the newer COVID vaccines aren’t far behind in terms of efficacy.
There are several reasons for this success. Researchers had already invested years in developing vaccines for other kinds of coronaviruses before we even knew about COVID-19. Simply put, COVID-19 vaccines are effective and were produced so quickly because the technology to make them already existed.
Developing the COVID vaccines was also an international priority, unlocking large amounts of funding and other resources to speed their production. And on the approval front, regulators streamlined some steps in the authorization process, although the vaccines still had to meet the FDA’s rigorous safety and effectiveness standards. Bottom line: The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, despite having been developed in record time.
- Serious adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines are extremely rare.
The CDC tracks all adverse reactions to the COVID vaccines—and out of the more than 30 million Americans who have been vaccinated with at least one dose to date (including about 10 million who’ve gotten both doses), there have only been around 100 reported cases of a serious allergic reaction. These reactions generally occurred in people who already had a history of severe allergies, and in all cases were treated successfully.
- The second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is essential to help against new strains of the virus developing.
Overall, the two-dose regimen of the Moderna vaccine is shown to be nearly 95% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% effective at preventing severe disease. In clinical trials, the protective effect after receiving just one dose was significantly lower. So the best way to stay ahead of new mutant variants of the virus—and ultimately end the pandemic—is to take both doses of the vaccine. In the future it may be possible to define situations in which a single dose of vaccine is adequate, but for now it would be a serious mistake for anyone who took the first dose not to get the second.
- Mild temporary reactions to the vaccine are signs that your immune system is doing what it is supposed to do to protect you against the virus.
There is a possibility that some people may experience minor, temporary side effects with either the first or second dose that may last one to three days. They are common, are generally mild, and resolve quickly. These include fever, pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain. After the second dose, the rate of several of these mild side effects did rise substantially.
These side effects are a sign that your immune system is doing what it’s supposed to do, and you should use standard measures for symptomatic relief to treat them. But please do get both doses when your turn comes.
- Over 500 VNSNY employees have already received second doses safely, and several thousand have received at least one dose without serious reactions.
Of the several hundred VNSNY staff who have gotten their first and second doses of the Moderna vaccine, no one has reported any serious adverse reactions. Everyone should be prepared for potential side effects such as soreness around the injection site, but as noted above, these are generally mild and don’t last long. So please, get both doses when your scheduled turn comes.
- Herd immunity from vaccination decreases the chance for new, more- aggressive strains of the virus from developing.
Herd immunity means that the coronavirus will no longer spread from person to person because most people have antibodies against the virus. With new strains being discovered in different parts of the world, the time to get vaccinated is now. Why? Because the more people who are vaccinated and protected against the strains circulating now, the less opportunity there is for the virus to keep spreading and changing to outsmart the vaccines.
- Widespread COVID vaccination will let us return to a normal way of life.
The important thing to remember about all the leading COVID vaccines is that they are very effective at preventing serious illness or death from COVID-19. This means that if vaccination becomes widespread, COVID will become a manageable disease, like the flu—which would let all of us return to a more normal way of living.
