Should you get the COVID19 Vaccine in Denver?
For well over a year now our goto answer to protect yourself from COVID19 was to wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay socially distant. Since the first COVID19 vaccine was administered in December of 2020 we have gained more data on the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines authorized for use in the US. We have found the video below to be very informative about the vaccines. Dr. Lough from CMU answers many common questions about these vaccines. This video is over an hour long and we understand that you may not be able to watch all of it. We have provided some timestamps for parts of the video that we found useful.
| Do I get sick with COVID19 from the Vaccine? Timestamp 9:21 What is an MRNA Vaccine? Timestamp 11:41 What is a Viral Vector Vaccine? Timestamp14:27 Does the vaccine alter my DNA? Timestamp 22:23 Does the Vaccine cause infertility? Timestamp 25:06 Do the vaccines have fetal cells? Timestamp 27:19 What are the side effects of the vaccine? Timestamp 31:40 | Do the vaccines protect against variants? Timestamp 44:30 Do the vaccines provide better protection than the antibodies made from already having COVID19? Timestamp 49:45 Why should I get a vaccine? Timestamp 53:37 Was it approved too quickly? Timestamp 59:00 Difference between emergency use authorization and approval Timestamp 1:01:35 Can I transmit even if I have the vaccine? Timestamp 1:07:16 |
This graphic was provided by the video linked above from Dr. Lough CMU
Important information to take away from this video:
The COVID19 vaccines do not actually inject the virus into your body. Both the MRNA and Viral Vector vaccine use only the protein from the virus to create an immune response. While both of these types of vaccines were created in record time, the science behind them has been in the works for decades. Research for MRNA started in 1990 while research on Viral Vector started in the 1980’s. Even if you have already had COVID19, the vaccine will provide better protection against contracting again or contracting a variant. This is because the immune response provided by the vaccine is a more targeted response. In other words, your immune system can focus on just creating antibodies against the spike protein provided in the vaccine instead of trying to fix everything that is wrong when you are fighting COVID19.
The bottom line on the COVID19 Vaccine:
Getting vaccinated for COVID19 not only protects you, but it protects those around you who are unable to get vaccinated. While there have been some breakthrough cases, these cases tend to have mild symptoms or be asymptomatic. We are seeing a surge in cases from new variants in Denver. These variants are spreading quicker among unvaccinated people and are causing a more severe illness. Almost all COVID19 cases that have required hospitalization are from unvaccinated patients.
