Covid-19: Vaccine

Covid-19 Treatment and Prevention

You can find more information on coronavirus on our education page at https://www.newerahh.com/education/

Coronavirus is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So how does covid-19 spread? A person infected with coronavirus (covid-19) can spread infection through the mouth or nose by sneezing, coughing, talk and/or speaking. 

You can take simple precautions to minimize the spread of coronavirus. 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 
• Practice social distancing 
• Wear a mask in poorly ventilated social areas. 
• Cover your cough and sneezes 
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces. 

Youtube video link: https://youtu.be/DCdxsnRF1Fk (This video has been reviewed by NEHH and is provided as a form of education. It is not intended to replace advice given to you by your primary care provider).

Covid-19 vaccine

There is a great concern being expressed in our communities over the covid-19 vaccine. Most of these concerns involve safety and the speed at which the vaccine was developed. In this article, we will dive into how the vaccine was developed, who can receive the coronavirus vaccine, and what the center for disease control and prevention says about safety.

Developing a vaccine for covid -19

Vaccines have been around for many decades. Before, vaccines would take nearly a decade to research, test, and produce. The covid-19 vaccine was developed in only a few months and cleared for emergency use. So how was this possible?
The secret behind this science is in a type of vaccine that has been researched and developed over the last decade. These are the mRNA vaccines. Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) vaccines use our own bodies’ cells to create immunity from viruses that cause infections. Traditional vaccines contain weakened or amputated sections of live viruses. Both of these methods require extensive research and preparation. Because mRNA is a naturally occurring molecule in our bodies’ cells, researchers developed a way to encode millions of mRNA molecules with a specific viral protein. In this case, the coronavirus viral protein. This is how scientists and researchers have been able to develop a covid vaccine this quickly. It is important to note, these viral proteins are harmless by themselves, but they help our body create an immune response. This immune response can cause fever, fatigue, and muscle soreness in some people. These are normal reactions that mean the vaccine is working.

Youtube Video Links: https://youtu.be/V-NEr3KCug8 (This video has been reviewed by NEHH and is provided as a form of education. It is not intended to replace advice given to you by your primary care provider).

Key things to know about the covid vaccine

• Everyone ages 5 and older can get vaccinated against COVID-19. 
• COVID-19 vaccines are effective at helping protect against severe disease and death from the virus that causes COVID-19, including known variants currently circulating (e.g., Delta variant).
• The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and rare potential risks.
• As with other routine vaccines, side effects may occur after vaccination. These are normal and should go away within a few days.
• People who are fully vaccinated can resume many activities they did before the pandemic. However, people should wear a mask indoors in public if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.
• People who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are recommended to get an additional primary dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).
• Certain groups of people are recommended to get a COVID-19 booster shot.
• Unlike many medications, COVID-19 vaccine dosage does not vary by patient weight but by age on the day of vaccination.
• People can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including flu vaccine, at the same time.

Bullet points and links provide by CDC. More information at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/keythingstoknow.html?s_cid=10493:covid%2019%20vaccination:sem.ga:p:RG:GM:gen:PTN:FY21

Safety of vaccines

• COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
• Vaccines cannot give you COVID-19.
• You may have side effects after vaccination. These are normal and should go away within a few days.
• Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history.
• CDC recommends you get vaccinated as soon as possible
• Covid-19 vaccines have undergone and continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in the U.S.

For more information visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html

Youtube Video Link: https:/youtu.be/7bBmQaX2k4w (This video has been reviewed by NEHH and is provided as a form of education. It is not intended to replace advice given to you by your primary care provider.)

As always! We are here to help. At NEHH we strive to provide education and make information readily available. This information is not intended to replace advice given to you by your primary care provider.
Subscribe to our newsletter for more educational content and weekly updates on healthcare-related topics and events.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Safety of covid-19 vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html.