Vaccines

R: Si se necesitan vacunas de refuerzo o vacunas adaptadas a las nuevas variantes del virus SARS-CoV-2, es probable que las personas que se hayan vacunado originalmente puedan utilizar un tipo diferente de vacuna. ¡Esta estrategia incluso podría tener beneficios adicionales! Aunque en este momento no se recomienda utilizar diferentes tipos de vacunas, es probable Read more…

It’s all your favorite nerds back for another live crossover event! Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist Dr. Emily Smith and Your local epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina are joining Dear Pandemic’s Dr. Malia Jones to tackle questions about date night, the latest J&J news, and vaccine hesitancy among white evangelicals. ➡️ Welcome, Intros, and Chit Chat (0:00-1:00) ➡️ Read more…

R: Entendemos que puede tener miedo. Para los que no saben, la Agencia Reguladora de Alimentos y Medicamentos (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA por sus siglas en inglés) y los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de las Enfermedades (CDC) en EE.UU. recomendaron una pausa temporal en el uso de la vacuna de Read more…

A: Vaccination is very important for health in kids and adults alike! Even though COVID-19 vaccines aren’t authorized for most kids yet, there are lots of other vaccines that are super important! Sadly, vaccination rates in children tanked during the pandemic and it is time we get caught back up. Talking to kiddos about vaccination Read more…

R. Aunque los datos sobre la eficacia relativa en estos grupos son todavía limitados, las vacunas de COVID-19 son seguras para las personas inmunodeprimidas y ayudan a proteger contra la enfermedad grave por COVID-19. En resumen: Ninguna de las vacunas contiene virus vivo y no pueden causar infección. Aunque la respuesta inmunitaria sea menor en Read more…

TL:DR: We don’t know, but researchers are actively looking into it! The clinical trials of the vaccines did not ask this question specifically, but many people have reported changes in menstrual cycles following vaccination on social media. There is no evidence that vaccination impacts fertility or that something dangerous is going on. Menstrual cycles can Read more…

A: Quite low, but not zero. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released data on reported breakthrough cases—meaning a positive SARS-CoV-2 test more than 2 weeks after FULL vaccination. TL;DR: ➡️ 5,814 cases were reported out of over 75 MILLION people who were fully vaccinated by this time. ➡️ 396 people Read more…

Q: I keep hearing people say ‘it’s not a vaccine’ so, what’s the definition of a vaccine? And are the vaccines for COVID vaccines? TL;DR: A vaccine is a product that is introduced to your body with the intent to create antibodies against a specific disease, giving you the ability to resist infection. There are Read more…

R: Los reguladores de vacunas de Europa y el Reino Unido han estado muy ocupados últimamente. En resumen: Continúan las investigaciones sobre un posible vínculo entre la vacuna Astrazeneca y un tipo de coágulo de sangre poco común. Los reguladores del Reino Unido y la Unión Europea continúan enfatizando que la vacuna previene la infección Read more…

A: When immunity starts waning and/or breakthrough infections start increasing in vaccinated people, boosters will likely start to be recommended. The exact length of time that the currently available COVID-19 vaccines will provide immunity for is not currently known. Researchers are, however, continuing to monitor people who took part in vaccine trials to try to Read more…

A: This week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put a “pause” on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to investigate reports of rare blood clots potentially caused by VITT. These reports are like the cases seen in Europe after getting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. VITT is a super rare medical condition where Read more…

In this live Q&A, we’ll be talking with the operators of two other #SciComm pages, Unambiguous Science and ScienceWhizLiz. We’ll talk about the J&J vaccine pause, fleas, Canadian geese, kids and COVID, long COVID, and creative vaccine strategies. ➡️ Welcome, Intros, and Chit Chat (0:00-3:40) ➡️ Can flea bites transmit COVID-19? (3:40-5:26) ➡️ Blood clotting Read more…

A: Yes. V-safe is a smartphone app from the CDC designed to help us monitor vaccine safety for people who get the vaccine outside of clinical trials—like most of us. People who got the vaccine can report their side effects. Keep in mind that the data in V-safe are self-reported. Results are available through the Read more…

P: Ya que esté vacunada, ¿puedo transmitirle los anticuerpos a mi bebé amamantando? ¿La leche materna congelada después de la vacuna también beneficiaría a otros miembros de la familia? R: Sí, tenemos evidencia preliminar -limitada- de que la leche materna puede proveer cierta protección contra el SARS CoV-2 a su bebé. Tristemente, aún no tenemos Read more…

A: YES! Evidence continues to mount that the vaccines DO IN FACT REDUCE ASYMPTOMATIC INFECTIONS. ➡️ While the Nerdy Girls are still dreaming of a world where transmission was explicitly tested in the clinical trials (call us next time☎️), the data pouring in from around the world strongly suggests that the vaccines are very good Read more…

A: We understand you may be fearful. Here’s what you need to do if you recently got the J&J vaccine. 1️⃣ Watch for the specific symptoms: severe headache, abdominal pain (belly or gut), leg pain, or shortness of breath. If you have any of these symptoms up to a month after receiving the J&J vaccine, Read more…

Giving themselves runway to perform all appropriate due diligence, the FDA and CDC have called for a temporary pause in the use of the J&J vaccine. Their diligence will analyze the cases of six U.S. women who developed very rare blood clots after receiving the J&J vaccine. Nearly seven million people have received this vaccine Read more…

A: Yes, you can and Ramadan Mubarak! Islamic leaders and scholars agree that getting the COVID-19 vaccine does not break the fast for Ramadan. Read on for more answers to your questions about Ramadan and the COVID-19 vaccine. Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims and is observed by fasting from dawn to sunset. Many Read more…

R: Aún está por determinarse, pero Pfizer ha publicado datos que muestran una alta protección por hasta 6 meses. NOTA: Esto NO significa SÓLO 6 meses, significa… ¡POR LO MENOS 6 meses! La mayoría de los científicos creen que la protección durará sustancialmente mucho más. Todos estamos ansiosos por saber cuánto tiempo durará la protección Read more…

A: Some diseases are more elusive than others when it comes to herd immunity, and your two examples are among the elusive ones. In order to be a candidate for herd immunity, we need a disease caused by one specific virus. The virus has to be easily recognized by the immune system; it can’t mutate Read more…