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Ensuring the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective

Ensuring the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective
It is likely that you have heard claims about the COVID-19 vaccine on social media or from people in your life. The quick development and approval of a vaccine may increase your hesitancy about its safety or effectiveness.
 
Carle strongly encourages everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine as it becomes available. We must continue to fight continued spread of this virus, and we believe wide application of the vaccine is the beginning of the end of this pandemic
 
Safety and effectiveness
As physicians, care providers and researchers we are encouraged by the safety and efficacy of the vaccine having followed a well-established process for production and testing. The rapid pace reflects the importance of the work for our country and the significant resources directed to address demand for the vaccine.
 
“It’s important for people to understand pharmaceutical companies invested significant resources into quickly developing a vaccine for COVID-19 because of the urgent need for the vaccine worldwide. It does not mean they bypassed safety protocols or testing,” Linda Fred, vice president of Pharmacy at Carle said.
 
The U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) facilitate proven systems of clinical trials, monitoring and extended monitoring to ensure vaccines are as safe as possible.
 
About the COVID-19 vaccines
Commit to getting both doses to be fully vaccinated to protect yourself and others. Like with any vaccine, you may experience some side effects – that’s a sign that the vaccine is working. 
 
This is not a live vaccine. Some other vaccines use small doses of an actual virus to get the body to develop immunity. The COVID-19 vaccine does not use coronavirus.
 
Side effects
Some tenderness and achiness of the injection site were seen in vaccine trials. Plan for a day of rest after each dose if possible.
 
“The short-term mild or moderate side effects far outweigh the risk of contracting the virus,” Robert Healy, MD, Carle chief Quality officer, said. “In fact, side effects are a sign that the vaccine is working properly.”
 
Availability
The pandemic causes stress, disruption and at times devastation for many families. With great anticipation, the first doses will arrive in our community this week but it will take many weeks and months for everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccination to get one.
 
While Carle works in partnership with local public health departments to ensure vaccines reach people as soon as they are available, not everyone will be able to get vaccinated right away. State and local health departments are responsible for deciding when and where vaccines are distributed. We are collaborating closely and following health official guidance, which establishes and equitable process for those at greatest risk to have access soonest.
 
What can you do today?
COVID-19 vaccines will be an important tool to help stop this pandemic and adds one more layer of protection against infection for you and your family but you should still follow proven illness prevention methods for the foreseeable future. Wash your hands, wear a mask and social distance from others.
 
Find more COVID-19 resources here at carle.org/covid-19.
 

Categories: News

Tags: COVID-19, health, Primary Care, , research, vaccine