The serious results that can arise from COVID-19 disease, such as hospitalization and death, far exceed the side effects of vaccines, say experts at Johns Hopkins University.
The country has to overcome vaccine hesitation on its way out of the pandemic, although some are concerned about side effects and long-term results after vaccination, said Dr. Brian Garibaldi, assistant professor at Johns University School of Medicine Hopkins, in an update on Friday.
Sometimes the vaccine’s hesitation comes from a misunderstanding or inaccurate information behind the vaccines or an assessment of their safety, said Dr. William Moss, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
WHAT IS DRIVING THE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE HESITANCE IN THE USA?
“The way I generally think about vaccine hesitation is that people often overestimate the risk of the vaccine and underestimate the risk of the disease,” said Moss.
COVID-19 is a serious disease, and although many develop only mild symptoms, people of all ages have been hospitalized and died of the virus, said Garibaldi. Overall, the underlying medical conditions and old age increase the risk of a serious course of COVID-19 disease.
“The risks of taking COVID, or passing it on to someone you love, who then gets sick and dies, far outweighs the potential side effects you may have from the vaccine in the short term,” added Garibaldi.
“We know that there are real risks for long-term covid complications,” he continued. “The number of people who are going to need months in the hospital or months in rehab, and even healthy young people who months after their infection have not returned to their healthy baseline states, that risk is real and it is very high now, when this is widespread in the community. “
GET FOX NEWS APPLICATION
The CDC says the common side effects of coronavirus vaccines include pain and swelling at the injection site, not unlike other vaccines. Vaccinated individuals may also experience fever, chills, tiredness and headache.
Serious allergic reactions to vaccines are “extremely rare,” the CDC recently told reporters by phone. In a new report released on Friday, the CDC reported 10 cases of anaphylaxis among more than 4 million doses administered, or 2.5 cases per 1 million doses. There were no deaths associated with anaphylaxis. Nine of the cases involved patients with a history of allergies or allergic reactions.
In a previous report, the CDC documented 21 confirmed cases of severe allergic reactions after the COVID-19 vaccinations, which averaged 11.1 severe reactions per 1 million doses administered, according to Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
“The benefits of the vaccine for you individually, but also for your loved ones and your community far outweigh any potential side effects of the vaccine,” said Garibaldi.