covid-19 vaccine AMA

FQ_Caroline

FQ_Caroline

10/10 is a real female
Staff member
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Alright yall, I'm mostly prepared for you to ask me all the things about the covid-19 vaccine. For some background, my BS is in psych and I'm getting my MS in biochemistry and molecular biology right now. I definitely won't know everything but I can do research into things I don't know or am unsure of. Also, I'm not interested in this becoming a political debate. Education should not be partisan and we will only be speaking in scientific facts. Lastly, I've had wine so there will be sass.
 
PSUTE said:
Can't wait to get it. I'm old and don't need my dick knocked into the dirt by this...
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Make sure you call your PCP or local vaccine distribution center (if you're in a state distributing them through a means other than hospitals/PCPs) to see what phase you are in and set up your appointment!
 
My first question: When an OP uses the phrasing "there will be sass" - do you think that deters me, or eggs me on?
 
FQ_Caroline said:
Alright yall, I'm mostly prepared for you to ask me all the things about the covid-19 vaccine. For some background, my BS is in psych and I'm getting my MS in biochemistry and molecular biology right now. I definitely won't know everything but I can do research into things I don't know or am unsure of. Also, I'm not interested in this becoming a political debate. Education should not be partisan and we will only be speaking in scientific facts. Lastly, I've had wine so there will be sass.
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are any of the vacines safe
for those allergic to eggs?
 
TechRaiderRider said:
are any of the vacines safe
for those allergic to eggs?
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Yes, because this vaccine isn't created in/with eggs like traditional vaccines. Niether Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines contain egg. If you or someone you know has had previous reactions with vaccines, you will likely be monitored for 30 minutes vs the regular 15 mins for people who haven't. If wherever you're getting the vaccine doesn't ask if you've had a reaction prior, make sure they know. This is just out of an abundance of caution.

The difference is that this is an mRNA vaccine is telling your body how to create antibodies to fight the virus rather than providing your body with inactivated virus.
 
Once I have the vaccine, can I pass it on to others? Also, what protection do I have against the new strain after I get the 2 doses? Ive had the first Moderna dose...
 
FQ_Caroline said:
Yes, because this vaccine isn't created in/with eggs like traditional vaccines. Niether Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines contain egg. If you or someone you know has had previous reactions with vaccines, you will likely be monitored for 30 minutes vs the regular 15 mins for people who haven't. If wherever you're getting the vaccine doesn't ask if you've had a reaction prior, make sure they know. This is just out of an abundance of caution.

The difference is that this is an mRNA vaccine is telling your body how to create antibodies to fight the virus rather than providing your body with inactivated virus.
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The rush to get this vaccine in place is a little concerning to me . What are the known and potential unknown side effects/ risks?
 
Hard2Bluff said:
Once I have the vaccine, can I pass it on to others? Also, what protection do I have against the new strain after I get the 2 doses? Ive had the first Moderna dose...
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Short answer, yes. Here are some instances:
1. If you've been exposed before or just after getting it then you can expose someone else. In this instance, the body hasn't had enough time to produce antibodies.
2. Based on Pfizer's vaccine (I know this isn't the one you got but they are extremely similar), the first does is over 50% effective in preventing infection in yourself and the second dose boosts that to around 95%.
3. Generally speaking, it'll take about 10-14 days to build immunity (this varies depending on a number of factors). Every day after vaccination, your chances of getting infected diminishes.
4. No vaccine is perfect. Neither has 100% immunity. There will always be a small chance of infection.
With all of that being said, it's still very important to continue wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Herd immunity is the goal and we haven't achieved that yet. Play it safe.
 
RTR...USN (ret) said:
The rush to get this vaccine in place is a little concerning to me . What are the known and potential unknown side effects/ risks?
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Totally understandable! Most people don't understand how clinical trials work so this can seem very alarming. Additionally, reading clinical trials results can be confusing. First, research regarding mRNA vaccines has been occurring since around 2013 so the science behind this isn't new. Second, there are multiple committees that have to sign off on clinical trials and patient enrollment before the study can even begin. Everything is well regulated and has significant oversight. Third, there are a number of phases any clinical trial has to go through before it ever meets the public. These phases can be found on a number of websites and through a quick google search. Lastly, in phase 3, Pfizer alone had 21K people receive the vaccine (43K people were enrolled but some were given placebo which is standard; I'm working on a clinical trial that has less than 10 people enrolled nationwide. Because this is/was a nationwide pandemic, there were more people available for study enrollment). There was a 95% efficacy in infection prevention across demographics. This is important. It means that there isn't a small group of people seeing benefits.

Basically, I totally get the fear and concern. I highly recommend everyone to question everything in the science community. However, a large number of people received the covid vaccine prior to it becoming publicly available. Also, there were minimal side effects. Even adverse effects that occurred were similar in both the vaccine and placebo groups.
 
RTR...USN (ret) said:
The rush to get this vaccine in place is a little concerning to me . What are the known and potential unknown side effects/ risks?
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WAIT I DIDN'T ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. Realistically, the risks of either vaccine are the same as any other. Pain or swelling at injection site, fever, fatigue, etc. Because your body is being taught how to create immunity against covid, you can experience symptoms similar to covid. If you have an underlying condition, you should talk with your doctor about potential side effects and risks. I am not equipped to tell you who should and who shouldn't get the vaccine. I also don't want that responsibility legally or morally. Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns. That's what they're there for!
 
With the the way this coronavirus has been battled and with the approach to designing and engineering this vaccine ... do we now have a leg up on how to mitigate other coronaviruses that have previously been managed through treatment rather than vaccination?
 
FQ_Caroline said:
Totally understandable! Most people don't understand how clinical trials work so this can seem very alarming. Additionally, reading clinical trials results can be confusing. First, research regarding mRNA vaccines has been occurring since around 2013 so the science behind this isn't new. Second, there are multiple committees that have to sign off on clinical trials and patient enrollment before the study can even begin. Everything is well regulated and has significant oversight. Third, there are a number of phases any clinical trial has to go through before it ever meets the public. These phases can be found on a number of websites and through a quick google search. Lastly, in phase 3, Pfizer alone had 21K people receive the vaccine (43K people were enrolled but some were given placebo which is standard; I'm working on a clinical trial that has less than 10 people enrolled nationwide. Because this is/was a nationwide pandemic, there were more people available for study enrollment). There was a 95% efficacy in infection prevention across demographics. This is important. It means that there isn't a small group of people seeing benefits.

Basically, I totally get the fear and concern. I highly recommend everyone to question everything in the science community. However, a large number of people received the covid vaccine prior to it becoming publicly available. Also, there were minimal side effects. Even adverse effects that occurred were similar in both the vaccine and placebo groups.
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Thank you! My daughter has a Masters in Biology, and BS in Chemistry, and what you have posted pretty much mirrors what she said. I’ll tell you what I told her: “I absolutely trust the science, but I don’t particularly trust the scientists, particularly the administrators.” I believe the scientists on the front lines and tip of the spear are doing good work. I also believe the administrators and big pharma execs have a yet to be announced/discovered agenda.
 
FQ_Caroline said:
Short answer, yes. Here are some instances:
1. If you've been exposed before or just after getting it then you can expose someone else. In this instance, the body hasn't had enough time to produce antibodies.
2. Based on Pfizer's vaccine (I know this isn't the one you got but they are extremely similar), the first does is over 50% effective in preventing infection in yourself and the second dose boosts that to around 95%.
3. Generally speaking, it'll take about 10-14 days to build immunity (this varies depending on a number of factors). Every day after vaccination, your chances of getting infected diminishes.
4. No vaccine is perfect. Neither has 100% immunity. There will always be a small chance of infection.
With all of that being said, it's still very important to continue wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Herd immunity is the goal and we haven't achieved that yet. Play it safe.
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Any info about the new strain after getting the vaccination?
 
Big 8 Rules said:
With the the way this coronavirus has been battled and with the approach to designing and engineering this vaccine ... do we now have a leg up on how to mitigate other coronaviruses that have previously been managed through treatment rather than vaccination?
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I can't give you a for sure answer because I really just don't know. I would assume that based on the way we have created this vaccine, using mRNA as opposed to traditional vaccines, probably yes. It would just depend on how quickly we can sequence the mRNA. That goes for any infectious disease though. It's much easier (and I think more cost effective) than growing large amounts of a virus to then deactivate/weaken or take some specific piece from. I think we are still trying to determine the major medical implications about finally getting an effective mRNA vaccine. I expect more vaccines to be based on mRNA in the future and more information regarding this topic to come out in the next 6-12 months.
 
RTR...USN (ret) said:
Thank you! My daughter has a Masters in Biology, and BS in Chemistry, and what you have posted pretty much mirrors what she said. I’ll tell you what I told her: “I absolutely trust the science, but I don’t particularly trust the scientists, particularly the administrators.” I believe the scientists on the front lines and tip of the spear are doing good work. I also believe the administrators and big pharma execs have a yet to be announced/discovered agenda.
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That's understandable! Just yesterday I was talking with someone in lab who was sent a publication by our lab manager. That email was followed up by a "never mind, that paper was retracted" email. Retractionwatch.org will send you emails about scientific papers that have been published and retracted if you're interested! One reason this is important is because usually results get a lot of traction but retractions dont, think of vaccines causing autism paper which was retracted. Additionally, you can look up who has what companies in what fields and what those companies are for. Looking at conflicts of interest and disclosures are your friend! Since I brought it up, the main author for the autism and vaccines paper had created a company to test children for autism based on certain vaccines prior to publication. Finally, look at impact factor for each journal if you're going to look at scientific publications. Impact factor is essentially how many times a paper is referenced in a year. There's a correlation between impact factor and retractions. Question everything and do extensive research!

AND vaccines do NOT cause autism. I don't want anyone to think that I think they do. This is just one of the more widely known studies that people reference in relation to retractions and social media traction.
 
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