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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread worldwide, new hope has emerged in the form of vaccines. But is the COVID-19 vaccine vegan?
This is the question that a group of renowned vegan doctors addressed in a video (below) – answering some of the most common concerns surrounding the new injection.
Several organizations have created vaccines, with the vaccine being administered in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, created by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
Vaccine for covid-19
According to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), it is “currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine to people most at risk of contracting the coronavirus”. Patients require two doses of the vaccine, at least 21 days apart.
Priority patients include high-risk healthcare professionals. Others include people who live or work in nursing homes and some people aged 80 and over who already have an appointment at the hospital in the coming weeks.
Questions about vaccines
But the vaccine came under suspicion among antivaxxers, as well as others who have doubts about it.
This includes how it developed so quickly and whether the vaccine is vegan, as it has been tested on animals.
Vegan doctors and the COVID-19 vaccine
In an attempt to solve these problems, a group of highly regarded vegan and plant-based doctors created a video discussing some of the controversial issues surrounding the vaccine.
Among the doctors in the video are Danielle Belardo, MD., Garth Davis, MD., Mauricio Gonzalez, MD., Sondema Tarr, DPM., Angie Sadeghi, MD., Robert Ostfeld, MD., Stacy De-Lin, MD. and Avi Bitterman, MD.
One of the questions raised by doctors is that the vaccine does not contain any ingredients of animal origin – however, many vegans still question whether they should take it.
‘Unnatural’
According to Dr. Gonzalez, a major problem when it comes to many vegans and vaccines is the belief that vaccines are not natural. He said: “I think a lot of vegans don’t trust vaccines because they look like too much science fiction. They think this is extremely unnatural – as if it were something strange and strange.
“I would like to add that it is not really – it is really a genius. Take advantage of our natural capabilities. It just increases our natural ability … vaccines are as natural as eating an apple. “
Dr. Sadeghi added: “I am very happy that you touched on this. Many of my vegan friends have been saying ‘how could you promote this? This is not natural. ‘ I would tell them that they have no idea what we have to do on the front lines.
“When you enter the ICU and are sick with the infection itself, you will receive a ton of chemicals, a ton of drugs. So, if you really want to stay natural, choose the vaccine. It is the most natural thing you can do to prevent the consequences of the disease. “
Developed quickly
Another issue addressed by doctors was the speed with which the vaccine was created – and whether it would affect its safety or effectiveness.
According to Dr. Davis: “One thing that people need to understand is that we have been vaccinated for many years. The science behind vaccines has shown extraordinarily low long-term effects – extraordinarily low.
“Now do we know what the long-term effects are? Obviously not. We haven’t taken COVID-19 in a long time. But the actual design of the vaccine’s mRNA (a type of vaccine) has been worked on for decades. We have already done other work with covid-type coronavirus vaccines.
“What people need to understand is that this vaccine does not enter your cells, your DNA, and it recreates the virus. It simply creates a protein that goes into the cell that is recognized, then it goes into your body and then it goes out. This vaccine is not in you 24 hours later. It is simply the machinery of your own cells that produce the protein. Once these cells are attacked and killed, there will be no more viruses inside your body. “
Is the COVID-19 vaccine vegan?
For many vegans, a crucial issue when it comes to the vaccine is that it has been tested on animals. However, in general, doctors believe that vegans should get the vaccine.
This guidance is also in line with The Vegan Society, which says: ”The definition of veganism recognizes that it is not always possible or feasible to avoid using animals, which is particularly relevant for medical situations.
“In the case of Covid-19, vaccination will play a key role in combating the pandemic and saving lives. As all vaccines are currently tested on animals, at this stage it is impossible to have a vaccine that was created without animal use ”.
He adds: “We would like to make it clear that The Vegan Society encourages vegans to take care of their health and that of others in order to continue to be effective advocates of veganism and” other animals.
“As there is no mandatory vaccination plan, it is the responsibility of each individual to make an informed decision about vaccines, with a view to defining veganism, with the support of the local health team.”
Vegan doctors and animal testing
Talking about the vaccine, Dr. Bitterman says there have been tests on animals – as with any other medical product. Speaking specifically about the Pfizer vaccine, he says that 106 animals in total were used in tests (and then killed). This is divided into 64 rats and 42 monkeys. When it comes to another vaccine (Modern), he says the data is not so clear, but he believes the number is similar.
However, he believes that refusing to take the vaccine in animal tests is not ‘analogous to the rejection of others [animal] products, suggesting several reasons.
“Number one, you’re not creating more demand, so it’s not like looking at cosmetic products,” he said. “If you buy a cosmetic product that has been tested by a company that tests on animals, they have a tendency to say ‘okay, let’s have our sales and then we’ll have another product to queue up as soon as the sales are over … so let’s test it on more animals.
“This is not how it works in pre-clinical tests for approved pharmaceutical products. The test is already done. Getting the vaccine will not encourage anyone to test it on more animals.
“I am not going to defend animal testing. I think it’s a shame what happened to those animals. In many cases, if not all, animals are sacrificed … however, if you compare this to the number of people saved and the expected number of people saved, it is astronomical. “