ALL !N Against COVID-19

FACTS: All three COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. work extremely well protecting you against serious illness and death, including from the Delta variant. But no vaccine in history has ever been 100% effective. Vaccinated individuals who do contract COVID typically have asymptomatic to mild cases. On the other hand, unvaccinated people are at (CDC):

5X greater risk of infection

10x greater risk of hospitalization

10x greater risk of death

FACTS: COVID-19 was the #2 cause of death for 25–34-year-olds in Aug and Sept 2021 (Petersen KFF Health System Tracker). Unvaccinated young people can still contract, spread, get sick, and die from COVID 19.

“Long COVID” is also a very real concern. 68% of patients who recovered from mild COVID cases were diagnosed with a long-term side effect within 6 months, including chest pain, shortness of breath, cough, and fatigue (CDC). 38% of these patients saw a new specialist, including cardiology, behavioral/mental health, or pulmonology.

Decades of vaccine history shows us that even the most serious side effects for any vaccine typically occur within two months of getting vaccinated. This reassurance, plus data from 6+ billion people who have received COVID vaccines— provides solid evidence that there is little chance that any new dangers will emerge from COVID vaccines (CHOP, UAB).

Additionally, mRNA, which was used to develop the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, has a very short life span and does not remain in your body for long. mRNA is broken down quickly by normal body processes into harmless pieces and our body gets rid of it. It does not enter the nucleus of the cell and does not alter your DNA.

The ingredients in these vaccines do not enter the part of your body’s cells where DNA is stored. This means it cannot interact with or affect your DNA. Instead, these vaccines work with your body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), the two leading organizations representing specialists in obstetric care, recommend that all pregnant individuals be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pregnant people with a symptomatic COVID infection have a twofold risk of admission into intensive care and a 70% increased risk of maternal death (Axios). They are also at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth, stillbirth, and admission into the ICU of a COVID-infected newborn.

Due to the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic, all resources needed to develop the vaccines were made available, including money, expertise, and cooperation. Scientists have worked for decades to develop vaccines against other coronaviruses and this knowledge helped speed up the initial development of the current COVID-19 vaccines.

Typically, when developing new vaccines, the phases of clinical trials are performed one at a time, but during the development of COVID-19 vaccines, these phases overlapped to shorten the process. No trial phases were skipped.

The COVID-19 vaccines were carefully tested on thousands of people during clinical trials and proven safe and highly effective. Since the vaccines first started being administered to the public, more than 404 million doses have been safely administered and in the U.S (Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker).

The Pfizer vaccine has now received full FDA approval due to extensive data showing that it is safe and effective.

The strength and durability of your natural immunity from a previous COVID-19 infection depends on your age, health, severity of infection, and duration of time since infection. You could have high levels of immunity, or low levels, without a reliable way of knowing your level of protection.

Boosting your immunity with the vaccine is likely to give you long-lasting protection against future variants.

All three available vaccines in the U.S. (Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson) contain typical vaccine ingredients, including single-strand molecules, fats, salts, and a small amount of sugar. The vaccines were not developed using fetal tissue, and they do not contain any dangerous materials, such as implants, microchips, or tracking devices.

Additionally, mRNA, which was used to develop the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, has a very short life span. mRNA is broken down quickly by normal body processes into harmless pieces and our body gets rid of it. It does not enter the nucleus of the cell and does not alter DNA.

COVID-19 vaccines are 100% free.

Deciding whether to get vaccinated is a personal choice, but your decision affects those around you. The more people decide against getting vaccinated, the more opportunities the virus will have to spread and mutate into more dangerous variants. We also have to protect those who aren’t eligible to get vaccinated yet, such as young children. In August, hospitalizations of children & adolescents were 4x higher in states with low vaccination rates vs. high vaccination rates.