As Vice President, Clinical Integration at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, I have organized and moderated weekly and biweekly Zoom COVID-19 meetings with the Chief Medical Officers (the chief doctors) of Massachusetts’ leading hospitals and physician groups throughout the past year. We have hosted some of our nation’s leading genetic, vaccine and infectious disease physicians and scientists, to update us on the evolving science of COVID-19 during these meetings. I personally delivered my first Coronavirus update to this group, over one year ago, on January 29, 2020. That day, there were only 5 known cases of this deadly pandemic in the United States. The disease had not yet even been named, “COVID-19.”

We have learned much since then, some through tragic experience. There is so much factually incorrect information out there, I am writing to share the vaccine facts with you.

In March of 2020, I wrote on DefoSays.com, that experts believed that without the development of a vaccine or successful treatment, the United States would suffer approximately 1 million deaths to this disease. Many were shocked and others could not believe it. Sadly, to date, roughly ½ million Americans have died from COVID-19. The good news is we now have two astonishingly safe and effective vaccines. Today, we can finally stop playing defense and go on the offensive against this awful disease, revive our economy and get our lives back to normal.

I encourage all of you to receive the vaccine when you are eligible. As a practicing physician, I received the vaccine when it was my turn at the hospital where I work, and I didn’t feel a thing.

If we all get vaccinated, not only will we be protecting ourselves, but we will also be protecting our loved ones and our neighbors against COVID-19 and ultimately put an end to this once in 100 years pandemic catastrophe.

Vaccine risk verses risk of COVID-19:

The COVID-19 vaccine is a critical tool to protect yourself and to end the pandemic; but you might have questions about its safety. You should know:

• The same safety measures used for all vaccines were followed for the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Tens of thousands participated in vaccine trials to prove they are safe.
• Since the vaccine trials, tens of millions of people of different races and ethnicities have gotten vaccinated and only experienced mild side effects.
• When it’s your turn, trust the facts, get the “vax.”

The serious reaction rate for the two COVID-19 vaccines available in America today is 2.5 people per million patients who received the vaccine. This is similar to the common childhood and adult vaccines we have all routinely received in the US. To put that in perspective, the death rate of COVID-19 in America is at least 10,000 dead people per million patients. COVID-19 is now the number one killer in America.

The serious reaction rate to penicillin is 100 to 500 cases per million, and we don’t think twice about taking penicillin when it will help us.

According to the data from the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC), as of 2/13/2021, 27,229,862 Americans have been proven to have contracted COVID-19 and 473,669 Americans have died from it. Most experts agree this is likely an underestimate of both the number of those infected and those who have died of COVID-19. That means for every 1 million Americans known to be infected, 17,616 have died. While it is true that in the US, a significant minority of patients with COVID-19 are asymptomatic and 80% of patients with COVID-19 symptoms experience only a mild or moderate illness, yet 20% of these people suffer severe disease requiring hospitalization and oxygen therapy.

Is it logical to let the fear of an exceedingly rare serious reaction (2.5 reactions per million, none of which were fatal) keep you from receiving a lifesaving vaccine to prevent a lethal disease? (In the US, contracting COVID-19 results in: 200,000 people hospitalized per million, 50,000 ICU admissions for respiratory failure, shock and multi-organ dysfunction/failure per million and it continues to kill 17,616 people per million.) Vaccination will also hasten heard immunity, protecting millions of others.

Vaccine Safety:

I can personally reassure you that this vaccine has undergone rigorous testing. It has proven to be a safe and effective vaccine; remarkably so. It is more effective in preventing disease than our annual flu shots.

Both of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized vaccines are safe. Prior to FDA authorization, vaccines are required to undergo the highest level of scrutiny regarding safety, of any drug approved. This is because they are administered to otherwise healthy people, and any risk from the vaccine must be far outweighed by the potential benefit of the vaccine.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been held to the highest safety standards of the FDA. The mRNA technology utilized in both vaccines has been utilized in cancer treatment for years.

Mutant COVID-19 strains:

As of this date, the two vaccines authorized for use in the USA are effective against all known mutant strains of COVID-19, although their protection against the South African strain is somewhat reduced, in comparison to the other strains. But as long as the virus is circulating in humans, every single infection affords the virus an opportunity to mutate into a more deadly strain. We must end this terrible pandemic, and vaccination is the only way to do it. The latest information about the new variants can be found by visiting the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html

Vaccine side effects:

Just like any other medicine or vaccine, there is a chance that you will experience side effects after vaccination. These tend to be mild, and if you do experience them, they are proof that your body is building immunity. In fact, if you experience side effects to the vaccine, which does not contain the entire virus, just imagine what contracting COVID-19 would have been like.

The common mild side effects of the vaccine include pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes (in the vaccinated arm) nausea, vomiting, and fever. Younger people tend to experience these more commonly than older people, and more often after the second dose. If you are young, it might be prudent to schedule the vaccine the day before you have a day off, in case you have any side effects the next day. These side effects usually only last 24 hours.

Interestingly, just because someone has symptoms after vaccination does not mean the vaccination caused that side effect. People experience fevers, headaches, swollen glands or joint pain etc., all the time, and may experience this around the time of vaccination by random chance. While vaccination site pain will likely be due to the vaccination, the other common mild “side effects” noted above were also experienced by the placebo group in the trials 1/3 of the time, indicating that these common conditions are unrelated to the vaccination.

Pfizer mRNA vaccine

• Percent of people with any symptoms: 59% after 1^st dose, 70% after 2^nd dose
• Note: in placebo (no vaccine) group: 47% symptoms after 1^st dose, 34% after 2^nd
• Types of symptoms: fatigue 63%, headache 55%, muscle aches 38%, chills 32%, joint pain 24%, fever 14%
• Percent of people with moderately severe side effects: fatigue 4%, headache 2%

Moderna mRNA vaccine

• Percent of people with any symptoms: 55% after 1^st dose, 79% after 2^nd dose
• Note: in placebo (no vaccine) group: 42% symptoms after 1^st dose, 37% after 2^nd
• Types of symptoms: fatigue 69%, headache 63%, muscle aches 60%, joint pain 45%, chills 43%
• Percent of people with moderately severe side effects:
  • First dose: fatigue 1%, muscle aches 1%, joint pain <1%, headache 2%, chills <1%, fever <1%
  • Second dose: fatigue 11%, muscle aches 10%, joint pain 6%, headache 5%, chills 2%, fever 2%

In my opinion, the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization, intubation, death, and post-infectious chronic fatigue, confusion, loss of taste and smell and pain far outweigh the minimal and transient side effects of this safe vaccine.

Vaccine distribution: Health equity has been front and center in the minds of decision makers regarding treatment and prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are first distributing the vaccine to those who need it the most. Priority is being given to those who are the most likely to die if they contract COVID-19, considering medical conditions, age, race, and ethnicity.

As you can see from the CDC data below, Black, Hispanic and Native Americans are roughly twice as likely to die as white Americans, and just like the frail, and elderly; these groups should be and have been prioritized to receive the vaccines first.

CDC data: COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Race/Ethnicity

Of course, when deciding about any medical treatment, you must look at the benefits, the risk of the alternative and make up your own mind. I only ask that you consider the potential lifesaving benefits of these vaccines for you, your family, and your neighbors when you are offered a chance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination is our only shot at defeating COVID-19 once and for all. I ask you to please join me in making a difference – one person at a time. Thanks.

For more information please visit the following websites:

1. Centers for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
2. Your own state’s Department of public health, for example, here in Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine
3. A trusted local hospital or physician practice website who share FAQs, such as; https://www.ucihealth.org/covid-19/covid-vaccine-faq