LAKELAND - “Really, the thing to think about, is the more people that get vaccinated, the fewer places (the virus) has to go."
Dr. Christine Luelo said getting the COVID-19 vaccine isn't just about protecting yourself, it's about protecting the ones you love.
“If we give the COVID virus nowhere to go, it will be boring, it won’t be able to change itself."
That was part of the message 19 to Zero, a coalition of academics, public health experts, behavioural economists, and creative professionals had to say during their town hall on TJune 29.
Dr. Heather Scarlett-Ferguson, pharmacist with the Alberta Pharmacists Association, said there are lots of reasons why people "could and should get vaccinated."
Not only do they protect yourself from the coronavirus, she said, “We also have a larger community that we live within, and there are members within our community who may have illnesses or can’t get vaccinated for some reason. We want to make sure we’re helping our friends, neighbours, and family, and we of course, also want to stay healthy."
Public Concerns
Scarlett-Ferguson said while it's normal for the public to have concerns about the vaccine, she can provide some insight.
“We have heard some specific concerns... about COVID-19, whether the vaccine was rushed, and the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine as well,” she noted during the virtual meeting.
Prior to the COVID-19 vaccine, the quickest a vaccine was made available was about four years, however, the COVID vaccine was approved and began distributing across the country in just under a year.
"I wanted to reassure you that the steps weren’t skipped, the safety steps were there," Scarlett Ferguson emphasized.
According to the pharmacist, each and every vaccine and medication in Canada goes through a rigorous process and clinic trials.
Not only that, Scarlett-Ferguson stressed they continue to monitor and review the vaccine after its use for at least five years.
"It’s not as if the vaccine is released and no one pays attention anymore."
She continued, “It feels rushed, but what happened was in order to get the vaccine through the process more quickly, is the whole world was in a pandemic, so the whole world was rushing to get the vaccine. That allowed for more funding, to hire more people, to work on getting the vaccine approved. Sometimes they were able to do some of the administrative stuff at the same time, things we have to look at like how the labels are, what information is on the label of the bottle and those types of things."
Is it effective?
While they know the short-term effectiveness is high, it's still unclear the long-term duration of protection.
Scarlett-Ferguson said, “We know that the vaccine works in people of different race, ethnicity, and ages. That shows they’re very effective, and that’s quite reassuring because that effectiveness will prevent us from getting severely ill and from getting hospitalized."
According to Scarlett-Ferguson, mrNA vaccines, such as Moderna and Pfizer, act like instructions on how to build spike proteins, which are found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus.
"That spike protein on itself is harmless, but the mrNA vaccines teach our cells how to make that spike protein and our body recognizes that shouldn’t be there and it builds antibodies to it, which is our natural immunity,” she detailed.
The Viral Vector Vaccines, which include AstraZeneca, use a similar approach. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), these vaccines "use a safe virus that cannot cause disease but serves as a platform to produce coronavirus proteins to generate an immune response."
“It’s just a messenger, again, giving you the instructions,” stated Scarlett-Ferguson.
She explained how both vaccines have proven effective against the COVID-19 variants.
“Vaccines do work. We know that since January, only .3 per cent of the people with one dose got COVID-19 and .1 per cent with two doses got COVID-19,” she continued.
Can you still spread the virus after your jab?
In order to clarify whether or not you can still spread the virus from person-to-person post-dose, Luelo took the floor.
“There’s a significant decrease, not only in the risk of the infection itself with symptoms... but that your ability to have the virus and pass it along while asymptomatic is dramatically reduced,” she detailed. “You’re not going to carry that virus around to other folks as well."
What about the side effects?
While some have simply complained of a sore arm after they receive their first and second dose, others have expressed worse symptoms such as headache, fever, and body aches.
Luelo said experiencing these symptoms is actually a good thing.
“Your body is using all of its resources to make those proteins and antibodies to attack those proteins, so it makes sense the rest of your body feels ‘meh’ for the day,” she noted. “Some people will have a reaction, many of them are very mild, and most of them can be managed at home."
There are rare cases of more severe side effects such as myocarditis, otherwise known as an inflammation of the heart.
Luelo explained how this is often something doctors see in children, and it is easily treatable with an anti-inflammatory.
This symptom is more common in men under the age of 30.
“We’re listening to our patients if they’re complaining of shortness of breath or chest pain,” Luelo noted, adding it is something they are watching out for.
Who shouldn't get the vaccine?
Children under the age of 12, individuals who have received a vaccine within the past two weeks, anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, and those with severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis to any part of the vaccine are told not to get their jab just yet.
If you or a loved one have allergies to something in the vaccine, Luelo recommends talking to your family doctor beforehand.
Herd immunity
“People often ask if we are at herd immunity yet. The thing about herd immunity is it is dependent on a number of different factors,” Scarlett-Ferguson said.
These include transmissibility, which have been affected by public health measures such as wearing a mask, hand sanitizing, and social distancing.
Vaccine supply and roll out also make a difference.
“Also, how long vaccine immunity lasts. That is still under some study. Most recently, as of (Monday), there was a study published that showed good immunity at about six months, that's very positive,” stated Scarlett-Ferguson.
“Children would also need to be receiving the vaccine, and right now, it’s 12 and up,” she added. “There are some variables, but hopefully we can get there eventually.”
What people wanted to know
There was an opportunity for the public to ask questions about the vaccine, with one Albertan wondering if they are required to get a vaccine that is Canadian-approved, even if they have already been given the shot with an option that hasn't been approved in Canada.
According to Luelo, anyone who has received a vaccine that hasn't been given the green light here is considered unprotected.
