By Beatrix Lockwood
NEW YORK (Reuters) – An unprecedented campaign for the COVID-19 vaccine is underway, with tens of millions now inoculated in the United States and around the world. Dozens of vaccine candidates are still in development, bringing hope to an end to a global pandemic.
As part of our #AskReuters chat series on Twitter, Reuters invited a group of health experts to discuss what you should know before trying.
Below are the edited highlights.
How do the various vaccines reduce the risk of COVID-19 and its complications? How long will they provide immunity?
“COVID-19 vaccines reduce complications by inducing the immune system to generate antibodies and T cells that prevent the virus from causing damage. The duration of immunity is not known, but I suspect more than a year. “
– Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Are COVID-19 vaccines safe and effective for people with serious illnesses, such as cancer?
“Anyone with doubts about whether the vaccine is right for them should talk to their doctor. Generally, vaccines have been shown to be very safe and we know that COVID is not, especially for people at high risk. “
– Heather Pierce, JD, MPH, senior director and normative consultant to the Association of American Medical Colleges
What are the expected side effects of a COVID-19 vaccination?
“Side effects include pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes in the injection arm, nausea and vomiting and fever. When I received the first dose of Moderna vaccine, I felt like I had been punched in the shoulder for about 24 hours. ”
– Dr. Joseph Petrosino, director of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine
Will emerging variants of the coronavirus, as seen for the first time in the UK and South Africa, affect the vaccine’s effectiveness?
“While current vaccines seek to protect against new variants, one consequence is that the faster spread of these variants requires faster implantation of the vaccine to limit the extent of subsequent waves of infection in the spring and summer of 2021.”
– Josh Schiffer, professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
When do you expect the United States to achieve collective immunity? And globally?
“There are major problems for global herd immunity – even if the United States achieves wide coverage, because of vaccines being accumulated by rich countries, much of the world will not. Seventy countries will only be able to vaccinate one in 10 people this year. Without change, this means a continuous pandemic. “
– Matthew Kavanagh, assistant professor of global health and visiting professor of law at Georgetown University; director of global health policy and political initiative at the O’Neill Institute
Can you discuss the importance of access to the vaccine, especially in low-income countries?
“Access to the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone worldwide is extremely important. It is our moral and ethical responsibility to ensure that this happens. As many have said throughout this pandemic, we are not safe until the whole world is safe. “
– Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, infectious disease researcher
What do we know about the vaccine’s effects on pregnancy and reproductive health?
“Several agencies recommend that vaccines should not be denied to pregnant or lactating individuals who otherwise meet the criteria for vaccination. Talk to your provider if you have any questions or concerns. As a breastfeeding mother, I was vaccinated ”.
– Dr. Syra Madad, senior director, special pathogens at New York City Health & Hospitals
What gives you hope now?
“I actually cried when I saw Pfizer’s vaccine data. This has been a difficult year for all of us, but knowing that this disease is preventable and will be avoided has lifted a weight off my shoulders. “
– Joshua Wolf, infectious disease physician at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
(Editing by Lauren Young and Alistair Bell)