There has been a lot of contention and fear among people everywhere these days about the new Covid-19 vaccine that has recently started being given to vulnerable people around the world. Naturally, there are people who are suspicious of the vaccine mainly because of the rapidity of its production, but also because they find it impossible to be sure of its long-term effects, especially in the midst of a pandemic that has left everyone in doubt, suspicion, and never-ending fear about the future. I have been one of these people from the moment of the announcement about the new Oxford -AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and I had a lot of questions about the safety of this kind of vaccination as well as the process by which it became available at such a short time. It takes research and an open mind, but after looking into it I realised that ‘the Covid vaccine trials’, as Health editor Michelle Roberts says, while having happened ‘at breakneck speed’, have not ‘skipped any steps’ (BBC). There are questions that pop into mind about this, such as the effects of the vaccine, what is in the vaccine, the allergic reactions to the vaccine, the rates of protection the vaccine offers. Professors of Medicine Lisa Maragakis and Gabor Kelen at the John Hopkins University address some of these questions like the rapidity and effectiveness of the vaccine. As they argue, there are certain reasons for its fast development, which refer to the vaccination developed for the coronavirus by Pfizer ‘has been years in development for other infectious viruses’, and China, being the first country to encounter the virus, ‘shared genetic information about the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus when it was available, which gave vaccine developers at early start’. Also, we have to consider the amount of resources and capital that went into building a vaccine for a worldwide pandemic that affects everyone. These types of scientific unity in research and resources have certainly helped speed up the process. Some people even believe that the Covid-19 vaccine gives you the virus. This has been contested by scientists and research on how, like other vaccines, the Covid-19 jab does not spread the disease in your body and into your blood cells. Instead, as Roberts clarifies, vaccines ‘teach your body’s immune system to recognise and fight the infection they have been designed to protect against’. The potential (and mostly short-lived) effects of a virus vaccine, such as fever and muscle aches, are, in fact, ‘the body’s response to the vaccine’, and not the effects of the virus per se. The developers of the vaccine have already reported usual vaccine side-effects which include ‘pain at the injection site, fever, muscle aches, fatigue and headaches, mostly lasting about a day or two’, according to professors Maragakis and Kelen. There have been concerns as to potential side-effects for certain population groups around the world such as high-risk people who are first in line to receive vaccination for Covid-19. Norman Swan and Olivia Willis report that in Norway, for example, ‘health officials have reported ‘a small number of deaths among older people on Sunday’ after they received the Pfizer vaccine. As of now, it has not been established that the vaccine is to blame for the deaths, but it has raised the question of whether doctors should vaccinate people with severe health problems ‘or at the end of life’. There was also the case of a doctor in the US who ‘developed an unusual blood disorder’ after being vaccinated with the Pfizer jab, but his death has yet to be linked to the vaccine. In light of recent deaths, people have been wondering whether the vaccine does more harm than good, with some worries about the standards of efficacy by WHO (The World Health Organisation), which is directed to 50% efficacy, as researcher Els Torreele observes. Torreele believes that companies and other regulators are not going to follow the percentage, as representatives from ‘both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency have already signalled that they would consider approving vaccines that only diminished severity of illness, rather than protected against infection’. This is a far cry from the ‘long-term’ immunity we had in mind, but even ameliorating infection can make a huge difference in how we operate in the world. These are all very valid concerns, as is the effect of the vaccine on people with allergies, pregnant women, children, etc., and for now the vaccine (the Pfizer one) is strongly discouraged for people with severe allergies (see Roberts, BBC). But the process is still ongoing, and the fact that there is the ‘principle’ to start with small steps during the trials and then move on to the next stage, considering ‘there are no outstanding safety concerns’ is a hopeful one. The need is urgent, which means that there have been and will be continuous testing on volunteers. It is certainly a big positive that the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine trial was halted at one point to make sure that the death of one participant was not related to the vaccine (see Roberts, BBC). Safety will be top priority, and of course we have to acknowledge that it is going to take time for the vaccine to be tested under various circumstances and in a wider range of groups. The vaccine may still cause controversy and will continue to do so for a long time. It is something unknown and intimidating, but it is also a scientifically tested ray of hope that can be a way for all of us to go back to normal. Works Cited Maragakis, Lisa Lockerd, Gabor David Kelen, ‘Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe?’ https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/is-the-covid19-vaccine-safe?fbclid=IwAR1vGiHQd1D25IBq736xcAiaxxm5E4-az7gRe0wP5zhzRYIOmeoVDTMINAE [accessed 18 January 2021]. Roberts, Michelle, ‘Is the Covid vaccine safe?’ <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55056016> [accessed 18 January 2021]. Swan, Normal, Olivia Willis, ‘Is the Pfizer vaccine the culprit in the elderly deaths in Norway? It's too soon to say’ (2021) https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2021-01-18/cause-of-pfizer-covid-vaccine-norway-deaths-not-clear/13067588?fbclid=IwAR2G-YcqYvHOxrVYJFR0WpzfNhONKb8CREe4wuit15IccASuiquqrB-5mvs [accessed 19 January 2021]. Torreele, Els, ‘The rush to create a covid-19 vaccine may do more harm than good’ (2020) https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3209?fbclid=IwAR2W4p4MM_r7xJ9MrJq2ozz3eCfwX7I4FmAVRR7dDVLUvxul6xzkSKgu4oE [accessed 18 January 2021].

I strongly agree with this opinion. The vaccine has clearly been proven to be safe. I think the real problem is the 'fake news' which is spread amongst social media. Claims are made about the supposed dangers of the vaccine which are not backed by any scientific support. Unfortunately, many people assume that what they read / consume on social media must be true and therefore believe in the claims without questioning its validity.

The safety of the coronavirus cannot be guaranteed with a reasonable degree of assurance. So no, the COVID vaccine is not safe. This might sound harsh, especially in light of the current global pandemic we’re finding ourselves in but it’s true. Shibo Jiang (2020) a professor of virology informs us of this by pointing out that proper procedures and guidelines still need to be adhered to, now more than ever as people’s lives are at risk. He goes on to say that testing of vaccines and medicines without taking the time to completely understand the safety risks could bring about unnecessary setbacks during the current pandemic, as well as, for the future. Elizabeth Pratt (2021) a medical journalist with a degree in health communication mentions the following known facts concerning the safety of COVID-19: it is safe to take for the large majority of people, there are no known safety issues for pregnant woman, including those who are breastfeeding, or people who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 in the past, all of this according to the experts of course. Also, people who have autoimmune or other conditions have been advised to check with their doctor before getting any COVID vaccine. Once again, there is no reasonable assurance, at least at this point in time that anyone can give, including the many researchers, experts, scientist, etc. concerning these side effects and the vaccine overall. Dr. Anne Liu, an infectious disease physician at Stanford Health Care in California, confirms this when she said that there’s no reason to worry about any potential long-term side effects from the vaccination. And that a vaccine is not a like a medication, in that it won’t stay in your body very long and does not accumulate in the body as medications do. This is does not sound very reassuring. Especially when there are reports on television, social media and even from family and friends, of people that have died not long after taking the vaccine - granted of course, that we need to make sure any news source is credible. According to Reuters this was the case when 28 people took the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc. And although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have responded by saying that they were closely and carefully monitoring the situation, officials pointed out that the difference was mainly due to the fact that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was authorized earlier than the Moderna shot. Also, in another instance, Asian International News has reported that according to the New York Post 23 people have died in Oslo Norway, days after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Apparently, 13 of these deaths are being linked to the side effects of the vaccine. And while, according to, Wayne C. Koff and Michelle A. Williams (2020) no vaccine or medical trial can be completely free from side effects - serious reactions to the vaccine are rare, those side effects or reactions should not have to be at the expense of lives lost. What is glaringly obvious here is that there should be improved safety and security regulations in terms of how the vaccine is currently being administered. That is to say, there should be proper monitoring of who is to get the vaccine and detailed information needs to be taken and kept updated of persons that might present a risk to taking the vaccine. This way, people can see that a real effort is being made with regards to improving the overall management and distribution of the vaccine, while maintaining a standard of accountability. For now though, the coronavirus is not safe to take, mainly due to mismanagement (on various levels) which has led to people not trusting the process as a whole - from the creation of the vaccine right through to the approval of it. Sources: 1) Who Can and Can’t Safely Get the COVID-19 Vaccine https://www.healthline.com/health-news/who-can-and-cant-safely-get-the-covid-19-vaccine [accessed January 22, 2021]. 2) Manas Mishra J. U.S. officials report more severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-allergy-idUSKBN29B2GS [accessed January 22, 2021]. 3) Covid-19 vaccines are safe. That doesn't mean no side effects https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/23/covid-19-vaccines-safe-that-doesnt-mean-no-side-effect/ [accessed January 22, 2021]. 4) Don’t rush to deploy COVID-19 vaccines and drugs without sufficient safety guarantees https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00751-9 [accessed January 22, 2021]. 5) 23 die in Norway after receiving Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine https://www.iol.co.za/news/world/23-die-in-norway-after-receiving-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-new-york-post-24ade13e-9458-5e7a-9922-2de807eab565 [accessed January 22, 2021].

I completely agree with this opinion. I am not someone who knows all that much about vaccines. Therefore, as I do not personally have any knowledge, I prefer to put my trust in the people who have been studying vaccines for a large portion of their lives. These individuals have studied vaccines, the effects of vaccines, and how to create vaccines. No matter what you feel about the current governance, it would not be advantageous for them to buy a vaccine, that is created by private companies, that have not been rigorously tested. There is a process for the development of vaccines, and the fact that we are in a pandemic has meant that rather than resources being spread, resources have been concentrated on the Coronavirus vaccine meaning it has had a quicker development process. I personally trust in the Scientists who have created the vaccine.