Meet the doctor who wrote this article for our medical column. (See the editorial under the section “continued changes” for further details.)
Hello,
My full name is Vincent “John” Bradford Waldron (I go by John) and I am a Family Physician in south central Virginia. My family and I attend church at Bethel Mennonite Church in Gladys, Virginia. My wife, Elaine, and I have been married since 2002 and have five children. I have been in practice for twenty years; the first seventeen I practiced in southern Indiana.
Currently, I practice in an outpatient setting taking care of patients in the small town of Brookneal. My vision is to care for people as Jesus would. I want to share the Gospel with those who need it and to minister to the needs of those who are hurting. The majority of my patients are not from a conservative Anabaptist background and perhaps the only way they will see Jesus is through me.
John
Coronavirus vaccines are in the news these days. When the first vaccines were finally considered ‘safe’ for use by the medical community the initial focus was on England as many “Brits” were among the first to receive the vaccine including one man, who interestingly enough, has the name of William Shakespeare. As of the writing of this article, here in the U.S., the FDA has approved the initial Covid-19 vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer.
The Initial Vaccines
The first two vaccines that have come out and been approved were vaccines that used synthetic mRNA (messenger RNA). In cells, DNA encodes the different proteins that cells need to produce in order to function. The only thing is that no proteins are actually made in the nucleus, they are actually made in the ribosomes of the cell. So, the cell needs a messenger to go from the nucleus to the ribosomes and carry those instructions. That messenger is mRNA.
The mRNA takes the messages from the nucleus to the ribosomes. After a time the message degrades, and the ribosomes stop making that particular protein.
In the case of mRNA vaccines, the synthetic mRNA in the vaccine encodes a protein that looks like the spike protein on the COVID virus. As cells make this protein, the body’s immune system will identify those proteins as foreign and begin to create antibodies to them.
Does mRNA Change DNA?
I know that there is much fear around the idea that these vaccines will change our genetic code. This, of course, could be really dangerous. Fortunately, the mRNA doesn’t make its way to the nucleus and instead is only active where proteins are made. This technology (mRNA vaccines) is quite different than stem cell gene therapies, and the various gene-editing therapies, such as CRISPR. Both of these fields of therapy do affect a person at the level of their genes, but the mRNA vaccine does not.
Effectiveness
In the studies that looked at the two mRNA vaccines, we found that they were quite effective. There were only 8 cases of COVID identified in the patients seven days after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, while in those who got the placebo vaccine, there were 162 cases in that same period. Looking at severe cases, there was only one case in the vaccine group (this happened between the first and second doses) and nine cases of severe COVID in the placebo group.1 The Moderna vaccine showed similar effectiveness.2
There is still a question out there. Do these vaccines actually prevent all COVID infections or do they just turn COVID infections into low-symptom or no-symptom infections? Currently, studies are being done to look at this. The only way to know is to run antibody testing on patients who have gotten the COVID vaccine for proteins that are not in the vaccine. So, for instance, there is a protein called the “n” protein that is in a different part of the virus. Someone who has had the vaccine, but not an infection with COVID will not have an antibody to this protein, while someone who has had an actual COVID infection will have this antibody as well as an antibody to the spike protein.
In the meantime, everyone, even those who have received the vaccine, will still need to practice extra caution, such as wearing masks, hand washing, and social distancing, at least until we know for sure whether or not it’s possible to get infections (even with the vaccine) and how contagious these potential infections may be.
Side Effects of COVID Vaccine
The most common side effects that have been noted so far has been arm soreness. This usually lasts for one to three days and then resolves. Many people also often feel tired and achy. They may even run low-grade fevers for one to two days after getting the injections. However, this seems to be a bigger issue with the second injection.
There have been isolated allergic reactions to the vaccines as well. The rate of anaphylaxis (severe allergy) to COVID vaccine does seem to be somewhat higher when compared with other vaccines. Because of this, it is recommended that people get vaccinated in locations where there is treatment available to take care of such a reaction and that they should stay for a minimum of 15 minutes after the shot (or 30 minutes if they normally carry an epi pen).3
Updated Side Effects
In the last several weeks, nearly 15 million people in the United States have gotten at least one dose of the COVID vaccines. There have been a lot more doses given around the world. As we have done this, certain things have been clearer as far as side effects.
Anaphylaxis is the most serious “common” side effect. The CDC is saying that the rate of serious allergy to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines is about 11 per million doses given. This sort of an allergy requires medications like epinephrine to reverse it and is seen with other vaccines and medications too.
In Norway, nearly all of the patients in nursing homes were vaccinated against COVID.4 In the subsequent six days, 23 of the frailest of those died. At this point, it is being investigated as to whether or not the vaccine contributed in any way to those deaths. From what we know, those patients weren’t in good health prior to the vaccine, but I think I would probably avoid giving the vaccine to people who are in extremely poor health (understanding that if those folks get COVID they probably wouldn’t do well either).
A lot of people have had muscle pains, chills and even low-grade fevers after the second dose of vaccine. Several of my co-workers had these sorts of symptoms and all of them resolved within 48 hours of getting the vaccine.
I think one last thing to remember is that just because something happens after you get vaccinated, it does not mean the vaccine caused it. So, if you get a shot and then get hit by a car, clearly the shot didn’t cause the accident. One possible example of this is a doctor in Florida who got a COVID vaccine and then developed really low platelet counts and eventually died. There is no indication that the vaccination caused the low platelet count and we have not seen this in any other patients who have gotten vaccinated for COVID. The guess is simply that he was probably developing this disorder already and that the vaccine didn’t cause it or affect it.
Simply put, when you give millions of doses of anything, there will always be some who develop other illnesses soon after getting the medicine or vaccine. The challenge is to figure out what is related to the therapy and what is just “noise.”
Ethical Issues
Other than the two vaccines listed above, there are many others being researched and developed. Some of these vaccines are grown on cell lines that were derived from babies that were aborted in the 70s and 80s. I need to be clear that there are no ongoing abortions being utilized to make any vaccines.
In light of this, the one good thing is that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not grown on these fetal cell lines.
Other Vaccines
Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) Pharmaceuticals and Astra Zeneca are both working on vaccines that are more traditional vaccines—that is they grow the virus, then kill it, and then give small doses of the killed virus to trigger the immune response. create immunity. The Astra Zeneca vaccine probably will be released before too long. The studies on it are a little more unclear with regard to its effectiveness.
The important thing with these vaccines is that they are both grown on HEK293 fetal cells, which are derived from an aborted infant.
There are a number of other vaccines that are a little further away from release, but there is one from Merck is a non-mRNA vaccine that is also ethically sourced (not grown on aborted fetal cells). The Lozier Institute has a web page that lists which vaccines use fetal cell lines and which ones do not.5
Other Questions
There have been a number of questions about who was behind these vaccines and a variety of concerns with respect to their development. Some have even speculated about companies introducing a “microchip” into the vaccines.
The needles being used to administer these vaccines are a very small caliber (21 gauge or smaller) which makes it unlikely that a microchip could be administered through such a needle. It seems probable that to administer a microchip, it would require a significantly larger needle than the ones being recommended, (the microchips that are normally used in pets are roughly the size of a kernel of rice).
Making a Decision
Is it worthwhile to get one of these vaccines, and, if so, which one?
The biggest reason to get a COVID vaccine is to avoid the possible long-term effects of a COVID infection. In some people, COVID produces chronic fatigue, a long-term cough, and “brain fog.” Getting one of these vaccines certainly would help to avoid those disease-induced problems along with the possibility that COVID could also cause some heart damage.6
What if You’ve Had COVID already?
Many in our circles have already had COVID. If you know you had COVID then probably the best thing to do is to wait. There is no particular reason to run out and get vaccinated, since we believe your antibodies should remain active for three to six months. In studies, they did seem to decline over time, but folks who had COVID should be immune for a minimum of 3 months and probably longer.
It seems most reasonable to wait and see if one of the vaccines shows itself to be superior, with regard either to effectiveness or fewer side effects, than the others.
Who Should Not Get Vaccinated?
Currently, there are certain people who should not get the vaccine. The first category are groups that weren’t in the studies. So, children under the age of 16, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should all avoid the COVID vaccines for the time being. It may be that the vaccine would be safe for people in these groups, but since they weren’t tested, they shouldn’t get it for now.
Secondly, if you actively have COVID or are currently isolating because of being exposed to it, you shouldn’t get the vaccine. I suppose this makes sense as we don’t typically give vaccinations to people who are already sick.
Finally, you should be careful if you have a history of severe reactions to other vaccines.
Everyone else
If someone has not had a COVID infection, I would certainly lean towards getting the vaccine. Personally, I have started getting vaccinated using the Pfizer vaccine and feel comfortable with that. For those who are working in health care, I would lean towards getting one of the vaccines. The issue for me is not the risk of infection to me, rather my concern as a Christian doctor is the danger that I might pass COVID on to one of my patients.
If you are caring for the elderly and have not had a COVID infection, I would also think strongly about getting vaccinated. Once again, the primary concern should not be how you will handle the infection, but instead who you might pass that infection on to.
Conclusion
I understand that others’ comfort level may be lower with these new vaccines and if that is the case, I would wait. These vaccines are being given to millions of people and if there are issues, they will become apparent fairly quickly.
Finally, I am glad that there are going to be several ethically sourced vaccines available to those who desire them.
Endnotes:
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2034577
- https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/18/pfizer-biontech-covid19-vaccine-fda-data/
- https://www.goodrx.com/blog/side-effects-covid-19-vaccine/
- https://www.fhi.no/en/news/2021/international-interest-about-deaths-following-coronavirus-vaccination/
- https://lozierinstitute.org/an-ethics-assessment-of-covid-19-vaccine-programs/
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects.html
