Data from clinical trials as well as post-marketing surveillance, conducted in millions of people, demonstrate that the COVID-19 vaccines have an excellent safety profile and are highly effective at keeping people out of hospitals and dying from COVID-19.
While pregnant women were first excluded from clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines, observational data from many countries now show that COVID-19 vaccines don’t affect pregnancy outcomes. Pregnancy places someone at a higher risk of getting severe COVID-19, and the infection increases the risk of pregnancy complications, including perinatal death. Therefore, COVID-19 vaccination offers benefits to pregnant women.
Although cases of myocarditis have been reported following mRNA vaccination against COVID-19, the cases are rare, usually mild and patients rapidly recover. In contrast, COVID-19 is associated with a higher rate of myocarditis with potential risks of clinical complications. Overall, based on all scientific evidence available, the benefits of vaccines largely outweigh their risks.
To date, more than 241 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Clinical trials as well as the safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns provide overwhelming evidence that the vaccines’ benefits far outweigh their risks. There’s no evidence indicating that the amount of spike protein generated by mRNA vaccination is dangerous. The use of multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines isn’t unusual or unprecedented; some childhood vaccines that have been used for decades also require four or more doses for complete immunization.
Both SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccines induce the body to produce antibodies against the spike protein carried by the virus. In addition, the body may also produce antibodies against other antibodies—a certain group of such antibodies are called anti-idiotypic antibodies. Such antibodies could potentially bind to antibodies against the spike protein. However, it is still unknown whether anti-idiotypic antibodies that bind to antibodies against the spike protein are actually produced in the body, and if so, whether they have any consequences on health.
The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that children get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they’re eligible. While children do face a lower risk of illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 compared to adults, overall these risks still exceed the risks posed by the COVID-19 vaccine. The scientific evidence indicates that it is safer for children to get vaccinated than to get COVID-19.
Although children are less likely to become ill and die from COVID-19, they are still susceptible to the virus and some die from the infection. Among children, the mortality rate of COVID-19 is estimated to range from around one per 10,000 to one per 30,000 children infected. Individuals who are vaccinated against COVID-19 aren’t more likely to die compared to unvaccinated individuals. The benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines outweigh their risks.
The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at protecting people from disease, hospitalization, and death. While they come with side effects, their benefits outweigh their risks. The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is in charge of evaluating data about vaccine effectiveness and safety and issuing recommendations regarding their use. The committee also holds public hearing sessions where interested members of the public may present their views on the matter. The committee met on 17 September 2021 to discuss the use of a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines and approved its use for people above 65 and people particularly vulnerable to the disease.
Multiple studies indicate that Delta variant infection results in a higher viral load compared to infection by the original strain and other variants. However, COVID-19 vaccination remains highly effective at protecting people from illness and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant, which is now the predominant strain in the world. And while the level of protection from infection by vaccines is lower against the Delta variant, vaccinated people still have a lower risk of infection compared to those who are unvaccinated.
Clinical trials and data from vaccinations under real-world conditions demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccines are very safe and highly effective in preventing disease and transmission. Evidence shows that COVID-19 vaccines aren’t toxic, nor do they impair fertility in recipients. Serious adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination are rare among the millions of people who already received it, and the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the few known and potential risks.
