Search Results for coronavirus

Nurse who fainted after getting Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has a history of fainting episodes; does not mean the vaccine is unsafe

Fainting, also known as syncope, can occur after vaccination. It is usually harmless in itself, although it can lead to injuries if the affected person falls, which can happen if they are not sitting or lying down at the moment of fainting. Episodes of vasovagal syncope are often triggered by pain and/or anxiety, which can lead to changes in heart rate and blood flow, resulting in a temporary loss of consciousness. The sight of blood or a needle can also trigger vasovagal syncope. Fainting following vaccination is not necessarily indicative of problems with the vaccine itself.

COVID-19 vaccine candidates are generally safe and effective at preventing disease; ongoing studies investigate whether the vaccine can also reduce transmission

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to the general population, in particular healthcare workers, having received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 11 December 2020. Since then, many posts and articles on social media have claimed alleged safety issues. … Continued

The Krippin virus in “I Am Legend” was intended as a cancer cure, not used as a vaccine

The virus that created the zombies in the film “I Am Legend” was intended as a cancer cure. Named the Krippin virus, it showed initial success at treating cancer patients. However, the virus later mutated into a deadlier form and caused a pandemic. Infected people either sickened and died, or turned into Darkseekers, creatures which display many stereotypical traits of zombies in fiction. The virus was not used for a vaccine.

Cases of Bell’s palsy and death observed during Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine clinical trials were within expected background range of general population

Simply because one event (A) followed another (B) does not mean that B caused A. In a large enough population, deaths and cases of Bell’s palsy are expected to occur solely by random chance. While a certain number of deaths and cases of Bell’s palsy were observed during the clinical trials of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the frequency of these events wasn’t higher than the expected background rate for the general population. This does not indicate a causal relationship between the events and the vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccine candidates show high efficacy and a safe profile in clinical trials, contrary to claims in viral video

COVID-19 vaccine candidates must pass the same safety standards as any other candidate to demonstrate their efficacy and safety before approval and public use. However, the pandemic situation has removed many of the usual handicaps that such trials face, including funding, recruitment, or bureaucratic red tape, which resulted in faster completion of safety tests. Phase 3 trial’s data from tens of thousands of participants show that COVID-19 vaccine candidates efficiently prevent the infection and are generally safe.

There is no risk of infertility from COVID-19 vaccines due to cross-reactivity with placenta proteins, as SARS-CoV-2 and placenta proteins are different

Frontrunner COVID-19 vaccines have been found safe during Phase III clinical trials enrolling dozens of thousands of patients. Claims of vaccine induced infertility due to the presence of SARS-CoV-2 proteins in them are illogical as we would then see a peak of infertility among COVID-19 patients or during winter when many people get infected by other, benign, coronaviruses. The viral proteins contained in the vaccines are different from the proteins present in our body.

Study on vaccinated and unvaccinated children used a dubious metric for comparing disease incidence in both groups

Large-scale, reputable studies did not find a greater incidence of adverse health outcomes in vaccinated children compared to unvaccinated children. The authors of the study cited as the basis for this claim created a new metric that was not validated as a reliable proxy indicator to compare the incidence of illness in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. Due to this, the conclusions of the study are questionable.

Dozens of clinical trials ongoing to investigate whether vitamin D prevents COVID-19; no firm evidence yet

Several studies reported lower levels of vitamin D in COVID-19 patients. However, it remains unclear whether low vitamin D levels increase the risk of infection and severe outcomes, is a consequence of the disease, or is simply more common in patients who are already in ill health. Several of the studies that found an association between vitamin D levels and COVID-19 infection or severity did not account for confounding factors such as ethnicity, body mass index, or underlying health condition, which are known risk factors for the disease. Further research is needed to determine whether vitamin D might play a role in the prevention of and treatment of COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccine candidates are rigorously tested for safety during clinical trials, unlike thalidomide; misleading to equate the two

In spite of the expedited development timeline, COVID-19 vaccine candidates remain subjected to the same level of safety standards as any other vaccine, and must demonstrate clinical efficacy and safety before being approved for use. Thus far, COVID-19 vaccine frontrunners, such as those by Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca/Oxford, have demonstrated a high level of safety during clinical trials.

No evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause more severe disease; antibody-dependent enhancement has not been observed in clinical trials

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) occurs when antibodies are unable to neutralize a virus’ infectivity, but instead enhance a virus’ ability to infect cells. Although ADE has been observed in humans with the dengue vaccine and a vaccine candidate for the respiratory syncytial virus, the evidence from COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials so far have not shown more severe disease occurring in vaccinated participants. People who have been given the COVID-19 vaccine will still be closely monitored to completely rule out the possibility of ADE.