The infectologist discussed the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine: one is extremely rare

– Is it safe to administer coronavirus vaccines to pregnant and lactating women?

– No clinical studies have been conducted in pregnant or lactating women, therefore the vaccine description should only be used after consultation with physicians. Women who plan to become pregnant but wish to be vaccinated should also be consulted. To date, no vaccine has caused adverse effects on the fetus or pregnant woman, nor has it caused premature birth or birth defects. These vaccines are definitely safe. And here live vaccines can be dangerous.

– What chronic diseases require more vaccination?

– Vaccination should be given first to those with comorbidities that weaken the innate immune system and make it difficult to fight the virus. In this case they would be: oncological and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune diseases, post-organ transplants and the like. It should be taken into account that innate immunity is reduced not only by comorbidities but also by age, so it is the vaccine that provides artificially acquired immunity.

– Will the children be vaccinated?

– Specifically, Pfizer and BioNTech are described as prescribed for persons 16 years of age and older. This is due to the fact that subjects younger than this age were not included in the accelerated clinical trials. However, this does not mean that children should not be vaccinated, especially those with chronic comorbid conditions such as asthma. There is no ban on vaccinating children, clinical studies have simply not been done on them. Perhaps in the future it will. Currently, children are not the risk group for whom the vaccine would be particularly important because they get sick more easily and less often.

– What are the side effects of coronavirus vaccines?

– Until now, nothing unique has been observed compared to other vaccines for the same flu. The most common reactions occur in about ten percent of those vaccinated: redness at the injection site, pain, swelling, fatigue, headache, joint and muscle pain. However, I have noticed that one of these reactions occurs in only one in three vaccinated people and fatigue or headache in only one in ten. One percent can increase the number of nearby lymph nodes, cause insomnia, or discomfort and itching at the injection site. All of these reactions are short-lived, one to two days. Even the doctors who had already been vaccinated in Lithuania went to work the next day and felt fine.

– It is said that one of the possible side effects of the vaccine is temporary paralysis of one side of the face. True?

– More precisely, this is called numbness on one side of the face, not paralysis. These are extremely rare side effects, only one in a thousand. There is no need to worry about it as it is a self limiting thaw.

– Does the vaccine protect against infection or simply against complications of the disease?

– We still cannot fully answer this question. We believe that even a vaccinated person must meet safety requirements and restrictions. It is not yet clear whether a vaccinated person can transmit the virus to another person without contracting it; we do not know if it can be mild or asymptomatic. However, it is believed that the person who got vaccinated will no longer get sick, as the vaccine is as effective as 94 percent, which is a huge amount. This vaccine, unlike the flu, is specifically designed to control and protect against the disease. Clinical studies have already shown that there are significantly fewer cases of the disease among those who have received the vaccine. However, it is possible that six percent of the total population is still not affected by the vaccine and does not acquire or acquire insufficient immunity. But one hundred percent of the guarantees in medicine are nowhere to be found. It is true that even if not enough antibodies are formed, there may be an immune memory of the T cells that will still allow it to fight the virus when it is reinfected.

– How long does the vaccine last or will it be necessary to revaccinate it every year?

– We still cannot answer this question precisely. Volunteers who participated in phase III clinical trials will continue to be reassessed and tested for antibody titers. These findings will be published in the scientific press at a later date. I think it is valuable to check for the presence of antibodies after a while (preferably a week after the second dose of the vaccine) for those who have been vaccinated now to find out if they are in the six percent of the population for whom the vaccine it does not provide protection. . A single vaccine should be expected if the virus does not tend to mutate each year to different strains that would not be protected by the previous vaccine.

– Is it worth vaccinating those who have already had a coronavirus?

– Today I would say that it is not necessary or at least not urgent. The most important thing now is to vaccinate doctors and those who belong to risk groups by age and comorbidities. However, vaccination is generally possible, especially if recommended by the vaccine manufacturer. This would stimulate immune memory.

– How long after vaccination can one expect immunity?

– One week after the second dose of the vaccine. This is after completing the entire vaccination schedule. I remind you that the second dose of the vaccine is given 21 days after the first dose of the vaccine.

– These vaccines do not contain live or attenuated SARS-COV2, right?

– It is true that at least Pfizer and BioNTech do not contain live or attenuated SARS-COV2 viruses. It is the world’s first vaccine to contain genetic information (RNA) about a viral needle protein that allows the virus to enter the cells of the human body. But it does not contain the virus itself, and the vaccine cannot cause disease. The informational RNA enters the interior of the cell and gives the order to start producing the antibodies necessary to protect against the virus. The immune system is ready to fight.