The both sides of the vaccination
Simeon Petrov
„Repressenting both sides“
In the interest of “representing both sides”, let us discuss the pros and cons of vaccination.
Translation of a publication in Unbiased Science Podcast.
If you are fully vaccinated (2 weeks after dose 2 or in case of J&J after dose 1), you significantly reduce your chances of:
1. SARS-CoV-2 infection,
2. transmission of the virus to others,
3. symptomatic COVID-19,
4. severe disease,
5. dying of COVID-19.
You protect vulnerable people who have been vaccinated but do not develop a strong enough immune response (eg those who are immunocompromised) or those who have not been vaccinated yet. Vaccination reduces the number of people who can host the virus and reduces the possibility of mutations and the emergence of new variants.
- Like any medicine (really, any), there are rare risks when being vaccinated. Risks of COVID-19 vaccines include those associated with any vaccine, such as anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, usually to a particular ingredient.
- Although anaphylaxis is dangerous and can be life-threatening, it can be treated quickly and is extremely rare in the event of an allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis after vaccination against COVID-19 occurs in about two cases per million doses.
- There are some additional risks such as myocarditis (a heart disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed) and VITT, which includes blood clotting and low platelets; both are potentially dangerous conditions but are treatable and extremely rare.
- However, there are risks that are more significant if you are NOT vaccinated. In addition to the obvious death and severe illness, people who have recovered from COVID-19 may develop PASC (Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19) or Long COVID (prolonged symptoms for weeks/months after the initial infection).
Long COVID affects everyone differently: some experience symptoms such as fatigue or brain fog, others may experience anxiety, depression, or other long-term effects related to damaged organs throughout the body.
Many ongoing studies are trying to answer what is behind Long COVID, but the only way to prevent it is to avoid getting COVID-19. If you are not vaccinated, you also help the virus to spread to other people (some of them might be from the vulnerable group of the population) and you put your community at risk. When you let the virus spread freely, this creates a friendly environment for it to mutate into other potentially more deadly and transmissible variants.
