Fact vs. Fiction: COVID-19 vaccine side effects and why some are hesitant to get it

PITTSBURGH — The race to vaccinate has people across our area scrambling to try to get an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. But there are also many unanswered questions surrounding the different vaccines.

We’re digging into your questions and concerns about the vaccine and getting answers from experts.

With so many people scrambling to get the COVID-19 vaccine, we’re also hearing from people who are hesitant about getting vaccinated.

Does the COVID-19 vaccine have side effects?

Side effects are one of the chief reasons some people are hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study showed of those hesitant about the vaccine, 59% cited potential side effects as the main reason. Contributing to that concern are viral videos circulating on social media.

A local infectious disease specialist told Moreschi we should not be worried about side effects.

“I don’t think this vaccine poses a serious risk of major side effects. Every vaccine, indeed every medicine, has some level of side effects that you expect and some can be serous but when you look at the totality of the evidence, this vaccine does appear to be very safe,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Adverse Reaction Reporting System, or VAERS, keeps track of adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine. A recent report showed out of roughly 14 million doses, only 7,000 adverse reactions were reported. Only 9% of those adverse reactions were reported as serious.

“If you think of the sheer number of people who have been vaccinated, tens of millions in the U.S., this is a very minor level of risk. And then you have to juxtapose that with maybe 1,000 people a day dying of COVID 19,” Adalja said.

While there are serious side effects, our expert said you should not be worried about side effects because they are very rare and the benefit of getting the vaccine far outweighs the risk.

Healthcare workers are refusing to get the vaccine. Is it unsafe?

Recent surveys have shown that about 30% of healthcare workers have been hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which is slightly more than the average for the public.

Doctors and nurses are less hesitant, but a surprising number of healthcare workers turning down the vaccine are in nursing homes, which have been hit hard by COVID-19. One survey showed nearly 75% of certified nursing assistants were hesitant.

Our expert said that scientific evidence so far shows the shot is overwhelmingly safe.

“The data to me is overwhelming at this point that this vaccine is safe and each day the date gets even more robust, as more people get vaccinated,” Adalja said.

Fact vs. Fiction: Is natural immunity better than getting the COVID-19 vaccine?

Cox Media Group