Vaccine Thoughts of a Christian Doctor: What I Tell My Patients
When this pandemic started, we all wanted it to be over quickly. As a family physician and a Christian, I prayed it would vanish. I worried for my vulnerable patients, my friends, my family.
In March, if you had asked me how long it would be before life was “normal”, I might have tried to evade your question. Unless God intervened and restrained the virus supernaturally, it would take a vaccine to curb it. And how long do vaccines take to develop? More than a year, surely — probably two or three. I knew, back in March, that hearing life was going to be disrupted for multiple years would be deeply discouraging.
Things turned even darker when I learned that this virus spreads when people don’t have any symptoms. Half of all COVID infections are caused by asymptomatic people. How can you protect from a virus like that?
But I didn’t know in March that the groundwork for the mRNA vaccines had been laid for ten years. Large amounts of mRNA sat ready to be tweaked with the bit of “code” for the spike protein of this particular virus. That code would be inserted in the already-made mRNA which, after being injected into my arm, would produce spike protein — which would then trigger my immune response.
The virus’ spike proteins are the bumps on the outside of the infectious virus and are the way the virus attaches to the cells it infects. No attachment, no infection. Had God given these scientists the insights and ability to discover how to make mRNA and have it poised and ready for this moment in history? That is what I think.
Other vaccines are coming along after the two mRNA vaccines which are currently being administered in the U.S. I will research them as they get closer to receiving their own Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). But for now, I’m discussing the only two vaccines being given to people now.
I am writing this because of the explosion of cases of COVID in America. Back in the summer I read dire news stories about how up to half the people surveyed were unwilling to receive the vaccine if it was offered that day. I rolled my eyes. Although I am very pro-vaccine (I think vaccines are the number one best thing we do in medicine because they save lives and keep people from illness), I didn’t care about those surveys. Not. One. Bit. Naturally people wouldn’t want a vaccine before it was tested for safety and efficacy. It’s responsible to wait until an actual vaccine is being discussed.
But now these two vaccines have been tested — in bigger trials than are usual for testing a vaccine — and they are clearly safe and effective. Remarkably so. It’s happened quickly, but no corners were cut. These two vaccines going from concept to execution in less than a year is one of the great health achievements of the modern age. Giving credit where it is due, I thank the Trump presidency for pouring resources into this effort. (I suspect I just lost half my readers, but I know we wouldn’t be where we are today if this government hadn’t backed these vaccines).
The tide is turning. More and more people know getting vaccinated will help them and their family members. They believe it is safe and effective. They have had friends or family members spend weeks with miserable symptoms. Many continue to have symptoms for weeks or months, such as headache, brain fog, fatigue, or muscle aches. Too many have died.
Still, I know there are people skeptical about any vaccine, let alone a new one. Some people are opposed to any vaccine for any reason, and I suspect my words will not sway those folks. But for the many whose minds are still open, yet cautious, I hope to give reassuring information.
The hard reality is that the only way to avoid getting infected with this virus is to get the vaccine. It is inevitable — perhaps not next week, but eventually. It is just that contagious. And after natural infection, it looks like immunity is only lasting a few months. Nobody knows how long immunity will last after the vaccine, but it looks like it will be a lot longer than that. I have heard medical experts say we may only need a booster shot every year or two, and some say we may never need one because we will continue to be protected.
Is there zero risk to getting a vaccine? No, of course not. Everything in medicine has some risk to it. All medicines, all interventions. We are always weighing the likelihood of benefit, on one hand, with the risk of harm, on the other. In this case, the likelihood of benefit from the vaccine — protecting us from this nasty virus — looks to be much, much greater than the teensy risk of harm.
That’s not to say that the day or two after getting the vaccine will be free of side effects. Some people seem to be sailing through both shots feeling fine — no side effects at all — but others are having short-term arm pain at the site of the injection, fatigue, or headache. These sensations are due to the immune system revving up and responding. In other words, the immune system is working! This is a good thing.
I’ll conclude with four discussions on myths that have been circulating on social media. I’ve researched my answers because I keep getting asked about these by friends — friends who are thoughtful people, but not medically trained. It is sometimes hard to distinguish false information from true medical research.
1. Do these vaccines alter a person’s DNA?
No. These are mRNA vaccines. mRNA enters the cell and stays in the cytoplasm, where it makes the spike protein. mRNA cannot go from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, which is where the DNA is located. After the mRNA from the vaccine makes the spike protein, it is quickly broken down — and always stays within the cytoplasm.
2. Do these vaccines interfere with fertility?
No. This myth seems ridiculous to me, I have to admit. It apparently comes from someone who saw a four amino acid sequence that was the same in both the spike protein and one of the proteins in the placenta. The spike protein has 1,273 amino acids, and I’m not surprised that a sequence of four of them in a row is the same as in other proteins. There are only 21 amino acids that make up all proteins. Do you see my point?
3. Were these vaccines made with fetal cell strains that came from abortions?
No. mRNA vaccines aren’t made with any cell strain, let alone a cell strain that came from a long-ago abortion. It is a non-issue for mRNA vaccines.
4. Can we rip off our masks the moment we get our second COVID vaccine?
Alas, no. These vaccines are very effective at protecting us from getting sick from COVID, but the protection is 95%, not 100%. While the virus is still circulating so heavily in our communities, we need to keep our masks on until enough of us have become vaccinated. What is “enough”, I do not know.
Also, almost no vaccine protects us from getting infected from a virus or bacteria, even though it does a great job of keeping us from getting sick. Getting infected might mean I have enough of the virus growing inside me that I could spread it to other people, even though I am feeling fine.
So — for the sake of love for our neighbor — we’ll keep wearing masks for a while.
