There have been a lot of questions surrounding the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that is currently being administered in Cayman. Through this Compass fact check, we answer some of them and also look at some of the myths and rumours have that been circulating.
Who can get the vaccine in Cayman?
In the first stage, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to healthcare workers, frontline staff dealing with incoming travellers, people over the age of 70, and residents and staff of institutional facilities like prisons and retirement homes. Next in line for this stage are people over 60 and individuals with relevant health issues, and workers essential to government continuity.
In stage 2, those getting the vaccine include anyone aged 16-60 with relevant medical issues; people living with those in stage 1 of the programme, and essential workers and school staff.
Stage 3 is basically everyone else, beginning with people aged 50 and over.
How effective is the vaccine?
Trials have shown the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to offer up to 95% protection against COVID-19, following two doses taken 21 days apart.
Are there side-effects?
The most common side-effect of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, as with any vaccination shots, is soreness around the injection site. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, other side-effects recorded by those in trials have included fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, fever, nausea and swollen lymph nodes.
COVID vaccines seem to have been developed very fast. Are they safe?
While the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are the first to be used and approved using mRNA technology, researchers have been working with mRNA vaccines for at least 10 years. Earlier research on related coronaviruses, such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), provided a headstart for the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines.
The speed at which the vaccines were developed was also contingent on the fact that within a week after the SARS-CoV-2 sequence being made public, mRNA vaccines were being produced.
Health experts at the University of Alabama, in an article that explored the development of the vaccines, stated, “Over many years of vaccine studies, we have learned to develop more rapid ways of conducting clinical trials. For instance, most of the COVID-19 vaccine studies have designed Phase 1 (first in human; initial safety) and Phase 2 (safety, dose and immunogenicity) into one study. If Phase 1 shows adequate safety, Phase 2 can start immediately — without designing another study and waiting for more regulatory hurdles. They have also designed Phase 3 (efficacy) studies while the phase 1 and 2 trials were being conducted, based on assumptions that the vaccines would be safe and effective.”
I’ve got allergies. Can I get the vaccine?
Earlier advice on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was that anyone with a history of immediate onset of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food shouldn’t take it. However, on 30 Dec., UK regulator the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency issued revised guidelines saying anyone with a previous history of allergic reactions to the ingredients of the vaccine (see FAQ below) should not receive it, but those with other allergies, such as to certain foods, can now have the vaccine.
What’s in the vaccine?
Here’s a list of ingredients: messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), lipids ((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), 2 [(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3phosphocholine, and cholesterol), potassium chloride, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium chloride, dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate, and sucrose.
I’m pregnant. Can I take it?
There is no data on whether there is a risk to pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers, so until more evidence is available, health officials are recommending that they not take the vaccine.
How much does it cost to get vaccinated?
The vaccine is available free via the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority in Cayman. Private doctors may charge a fee.
Do I get infected with COVID when I get vaccinated?
No. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine does not contain any viable COVID-19 virus particles. It’s an mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine, which uses the genetic sequence for the proteins that make up the spikes on the surface of the virus. These spike proteins are what enable the virus to be transported into the body’s cells. By producing spike proteins that do not contain the virus, the vaccine allows the immune system to produce antibodies and active T-cells to respond to future encounters with spike proteins, including ones that may be transporting the virus.
If I’ve had coronavirus already, do I need the vaccine?
Yes. While you would have produced antibodies that can make you immune to the virus, at least temporarily, scientists do not yet know exactly how long the antibodies remain in your system or how long you’re protected against COVID after you recover. Cases of reinfection have been reported. Those who have had COVID are encouraged to get vaccinated, but should wait at least a month after the time of infection.
Is getting vaccinated mandatory in Cayman?
It’s not mandatory, but health and government officials are strongly encouraging everyone to avail themselves of the vaccine.
Does the vaccine contain microchips?
No, the vaccine does not contain microchips. This myth appears to have started after Bill Gates made a comment about a digital certificate of vaccine records.
Did a doctor in Florida die after taking the vaccine?
A South Florida doctor, Gregory Michael, 56, died on 3 Jan., two weeks after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Florida health officials and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating the cause of his death to determine if it was related to the vaccine.
The Miami Herald reports that Pfizer said Michael had died of a “highly unusual clinical case of severe thrombocytopenia, a condition that decreases the body’s ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding.” The vaccine manufacturer said it was “actively investigating this case, but we don’t believe at this time that there is any direct connection to the vaccine.”
Michael’s wife, Heidi Neckelmann, posted on social media that her husband, who previously had been “very healthy”, visited a hospital when he developed spots on his feet and hands three days after receiving the vaccine. Doctors diagnosed him with immune thrombocytopenia, or ITP, a blood disorder caused by an immune reaction. In her post, Neckelmann said Michael died of a stroke after attempts to raise his platelet count failed.
Did a nurse in Tennessee who fainted on camera after taking the vaccine die?
Not true. In December, Tiffany Dover, a nurse manager at the Catholic Health Initiatives Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, did faint while doing a TV interview shortly after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine shot. This led to some speculation that the vaccine was not safe, but, according to media reports, it turned out Dover had an underlying medical condition that caused her to pass out when she experiences pain. Subsequent online reports claimed she had since died, but her hospital has posted images of her and confirmed she has been showing up to work.
Will the vaccine change my DNA?
The mRNA in the vaccine is not the same as DNA and can’t combine with DNA to change a person’s genetic code. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, also notes that the mRNA is relatively fragile and only remains inside a cell for about 72 hours before being degraded and disappearing.
Sources: Cayman Islands government, World Health Organization, US Food and Drug Administration, University of Alabama
Got any more questions you’d like to see added to this list of FAQs? If so, email us at [email protected].
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