Science

Q: What can be said about long-term effects of the vaccine that may take years to discover? The potential long-term effects of vaccination will be monitored and released as time goes on, and it's useful to compare what we do now know about the effects of disease.  The short term effects of COVID are most have one to two weeks of illness, about 10% need hospitalization effects of COVID are most have one to two weeks of illness, about 10% need hospitalization and 1.5 to 2.5% die. We are still learning about the long-term effects of a COVID infection. [...]

Q: Why were people with autoimmune health issues told that they should not get the vaccine in the trials? That is how clinical trials are set up. After the early phases of testing, they include those with other serious health issues. The first clinical trials have exclusion criteria that are meant to protect the vulnerable, including those with immune compromise or immune suppression treatment, those with autoimmune disease, history of anaphylaxis or angioedema, pregnancy, lactation, cancer, serious psychiatric illness, bleeding disorders, chronic respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, severe obesity, alcohol abuse, and injection drug users. After the initial phase 1 [...]

Q: What are the symptoms of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) following Janssen COVID-19 vaccine? A rare adverse event has been reported through the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) has been reported after viral vector vaccines (J&J and Astra-Zeneca). Symptoms for CVST and blood clots include severe headache, blurry vision, shortness of breath, fainting, loss of consciousness, and weakness. The incidence of CVST or thrombocytopenia following vaccination is much less than from a COVID infection, birth control pills, smoking, or heparin therapy. Response by Jeffrey Kuhlman, MD, Senior Vice President and [...]

Q: Can you explain breakthrough infections.  If you’re going to get COVID anyway, why get the vaccine? Breakthrough infections are when an already vaccinated person gets infected. This is expected to occur with any vaccination program since no vaccine is 100% effective at preventing infection. Most of these cases are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms only, and are rarely sick enough to need hospitalization. So it is still valuable to receive the vaccine to prevent severe illness and death.  We are continuing to learn more about who may be at higher risk of experiencing a breakthrough infection. [...]

Q: Does the vaccine protect against all variants? The vaccines which are based on the “original” SARS-CoV-2 virus have continued to be successful in protecting against variant viruses because the variant viruses are still “similar enough” that the body’s immune response is able to recognize the viral threat. However, as newer (and more different looking) variant viruses arise, then we would expect the vaccines to protect less, as the immune system will not be able to recognize the viruses as well. Q: The variants seem to be constantly changing into newer variants or strains and the vaccine has not [...]

Q: Please explain how the Jansen (J&J) vaccine is effective when it is one shot, not two. The J&J vaccine was studied as a single dose vaccine and a 2-dose vaccine; the 2-dose study (called ENSEMBLE-2) is still being performed, but is anticipated to definitively demonstrate improved efficacy compared to the single dose. Nonetheless, the single dose J&J is very good at preventing hospitalization and deaths. The Astra Zeneca vaccine (a 2-dose vaccine) and J&J vaccine are both very similar to each other and use the virus-vector approach to make the vaccine. Response by E. Albert Reece, [...]

Q:  All three vaccines available in the United States rely on our own cells to translate mRNA strands into the spike protein structures. How common is it for vaccines to employ our own cells to construct antigens? This is incorrect. Only two of the three currently EUA approved vaccines use the mRNA technology. The third vaccine is a nanoparticle vaccine.The Covid vaccines are the first set of mRNA vaccines to be EUA approved. Prior mRNA vaccines were developed for other emerging infections (zika and ebola) but were not advanced to the late development stage because there was not the [...]

Q: I have heard that vaccines are frequently tested on animals first and this one wasn’t. Can you address that? The early development of each vaccine involved testing in animals. The mRNA vaccines were tested in animals while trying to create solutions for zika, ebola, influenza, HIV, and many other infectious diseases. The great advantage of the mRNA vaccines is that when a “new” threat is identified then we simply need to have the genetic code to be able to make the mRNA vaccine. This technology has been built over decades of testing in the lab, in animals, and [...]

Q: Does the spike protein contain bat DNA?  What proof do we have that they do not contain a microchip? The spike protein is made of protein and there is no DNA. There are no bat-derived ingredients in any of the vaccines. See response to question on "mRNA Technology" for more information on DNA, RNA, and proteins. There is no technology to make microchips smaller than a grain of rice, hence it would be impossible to put a microchip into a vaccine vial or needle. Response by E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for [...]

Q: What are the ingredients in the vaccine, are they all safe or can they create other symptoms? Why don’t they tell us what is in the vaccine? The ingredients in all of the FDA reviewed Covid vaccines (as well as any vaccine or drug that is reviewed by the FDA) is made known in the FDA application, there are no hidden ingredients and there is no mystery. However, the specific manufacture process (think like the recipe of a special dish) is not disclosed to the public because these are protected and proprietary intellectual property (like the recipes of [...]