x
Breaking News
More () »

Local health experts debunk Coronavirus vaccine myths

Because the vaccine is still very new, people have questions about how it works.

BRYAN, Texas — As lines of people line up around the world to receive the coronavirus vaccine, others are hesitant to get the shot for a variety of reasons. 

Because the vaccine is still very new, people have questions on how it works.

Simply put, the shot does not give you doses of the coronavirus. 

“They are giving us shots... in the case of Moderna and Pfizer, these are pieces of RNA which will, by the cell, be made into a protein that is an antigen or something similar on the virus, A spike protein that our cells therefore will recognize If it ever does encounter the real virus," said Brazos County Health District's Dr. Seth Sullivan. 

Because your body thinks it is seeing the coronavirus inside your system, you may experience covid like symptoms after getting the vaccine.  

“Some people may feel a little fluish, that’s normal. But if you have prolonged symptoms, after longer than 24-36 hours, you might want to get in touch with the person who provided the injection or your healthcare provider just to make sure you don’t have something else going on. The vaccine is very, very safe,” said Texas A&M School of Public Health's Dr. Angela Clendenin.

When the vaccine enters your body, your DNA will not be altered. 

“All it is is a red flag waving, saying hey this is something different and you need to create an antibody response. It has no effect on the DNA and the cells,” said Dr. Clendenin. 

Even after you are vaccinated, this does not mean everything returns to normalcy pre pandemic. 

“Right now we’re collecting data on how transmissible we are afterwards. Yes technically we’re not getting infected by the virus, we’re not transmitting the virus. We know so far that we have had lots of cases of asymptomatic cases, those that don’t know they have symptoms at all but are testing positive and potentially spreading the virus. It is that concern that gives us pause right now until we have more data,” said Dr. Sullivan. 

Both health experts strongly encourage you to continue practicing the same health protocols until the majority of the population is vaccinated. 

 

 

Before You Leave, Check This Out