10/15/2021

COVID-19 VACCINESSEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION

LINDSAY WEAVER, M.D., FACEPCHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

COVID-19: Where we are today• Hard 19 months – lockdowns, missed events, losses for Hoosier families• Average cases now (coming down from Delta surge but concerns about winter/models)• Best tool we have to protect ourselves and the people we love is the vaccine.• Three vaccines – all highly effective• Booster doses approved for Pfizer• But many Hoosiers still have questions/concerns, haven’t gotten their vaccine, which puts us

at risk of prolonging this pandemic and making the work we did early on to protect the most vulnerable obsolete

• Goal of this presentation is to address many of the questions we are hearing from state employees so that you can make informed decisions about how best to protect yourselves

How Vaccines Work

• Vaccines train our immune systems to create proteins that fight disease, known as ‘antibodies’, just as would happen when we are exposed to a disease.

• A key difference is that vaccines work without making us sick.• A vaccine can cause your body’s immune system to react, which could mean

you run a slight fever, have some aches or chills, or get a headache. These symptoms are temporary and mean your body is responding exactly as it is supposed to!

• No vaccine is 100 percent effective at preventing disease. However, vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death –and this is very true of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccine Efficacy

Fully Vaccinated by Age Group

Myth No. 1: The Vaccine is Too New

The myth:• The vaccine was rushed and wasn’t researched long enoughThe facts:• The COVID-19 vaccines were built off a decade of research into mRNA

vaccines for similar viruses.• The vaccines are new, but the science behind them isn’t.• Having the research already in hand allowed the FDA, CDC and

manufacturers to review data quickly and get vaccines in production

Myth No. 2: Young People Aren’t Affected

• The myth: COVID-19 doesn’t affect young people; it’s “just a cold”• The facts: More than half (51.7%) of COVID-19 cases have occurred in people

under age 40• And while the rate of deaths in young people is very low, many younger

people are dealing with long-term complications of COVID

The myth: The COVID-19 vaccines cause infertilityThe facts: The COVID-19 vaccines do NOT impact fertility in women or men, and the CDC has recommended that pregnant women get vaccinated against COVID-19 • COVID-19 vaccines do not cause infection, including

in pregnant individuals or their babies• Early data on the safety of receiving an mRNA COVID-19

vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) during pregnancy did not find any safety concerns for vaccinated pregnant individuals or their babies.

• Vaccination of pregnant individuals builds antibodies that might protect their babies.• Early data suggest receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy reduces the risk for

infection

Myth No. 3: Infertility

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Vaccines during Pregnancy & Lactation

Amy’s Story

“I received the Moderna vaccine early in the third trimester of my pregnancy. I talked with my doctor and weighed the risks of getting COVID while pregnant against any potential side effects from the vaccine. COVID posted a bigger danger to me and my daughter than any side effects that have been reported. I’m incredibly grateful that I got vaccinated. It kept me protected for the rest of my pregnancy and gave me peace of mind, knowing that my daughter was safer being born during a pandemic than if I had not been vaccinated.”

— Amy Kent, Assistant Commissioner for Consumer Affairs and Regulation, IDOH

Myth No. 4: Natural Immunity

The myth: • I had COVID-19 and have antibodies, or “natural immunity,” so I don’t need

the vaccine.The facts: • Scientists do not know how long natural immunity lasts. The COVID-19

vaccines have been proven to provide long-term protection against disease.• Even if you have had COVID-19, you can be reinfected. • Even if you get COVID-19 after being vaccinated, your case is much more

likely to less severe.

Jenna’s Story“Vaccinations in general, not just Covid-19, can be the difference between life and death. Getting vaccinated against disease is not a new concept, and contrary to some opinions, having had Covid-19 does not mean you are immune to getting it again. I chose to get vaccinated to keep both myself and the people around me safer. While not an absolute, getting vaccinated provided me another layer of protection (and peace of mind) to not getting sick, and if I do, not to the life-threatening degree I had previously. I also wanted to do my part to help stop the spread of the virus and try to return to some type of normalcy.”

— Jenna Morrow, Re-Entry Monitor, Indiana Department of Correction

Myth No. 5: It’s an ExperimentThe myth:• BIPOC individuals are being used as test subjects or the vaccine hasn’t been

tested in BIPOC populationsThe facts:• All three vaccines were tested thoroughly in clinical trials that involved

thousands of voluntary participants from all racial and ethnic backgrounds• Vaccination rates are much lower among Black and Hispanic Hoosiers than

among white Hoosiers, putting them at greater risk of severe disease• Many members of BIPOC communities already are at greater risk of severe

illness due to underlying conditions such as heart disease and diabetes• Kizzmekia Corbett, an African-American immunologist at the National

Institutes of Health, is one of the scientists who helped develop one of the vaccines

Myth No. 6: “It’s Just Like the Flu”

The myth:• COVID-19 is just like the fluThe facts:• In 2019 and 2020 combined, 144 Hoosiers died of the flu• Since March 2020, more than 16,000 Hoosiers have died

of COVID-19

Fern’s story

“I had a family member die early on when COVID first started. She was put on the machine and never made it off. Also, my daughter’s immune system is very weak. I didn’t want to bring COVID home to her.”

— Fern Phillips, Financial Eligibility Coordinator, Children’s Special Health Care division at IDOH

Comparing Benefits & Risks

Comparing Benefits & Risks

Myth No. 7: The Side Effects The myth:• The side effects can cause deathThe facts:• Severe side effects are rare and have included blood clotting disorders, heart inflammation

issues• Your risk of dying from COVID is exponentially greater than your risk of experiencing a severe

side effect• The CDC continues to track side effects through its VAERS program• If people report similar side effects, the FDA and CDC can adjust their recommendations for

who should receive the vaccineo Saw this with J&J recommendations after blood clot reports

Booster Doses & Eligibility Expansion• Booster shots approved for people who received Pfizer vaccine

• CDC says the following should receive a Pfizer booster dose at least 6 months after completing series:◦ People age 65 years and older◦ Residents age 18 years and older in long-term care settings◦ People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions

• CDC says the following groups may receive a Pfizer booster shot, based on their individual benefits and risks:◦ People aged 18-49 years with underlying medical conditions◦ People aged 18-64 years at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or

institutional setting

• FDA and CDC are reviewing potential booster shots for those who received Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines

• FDA, CDC to review data this month to determine whether to grant Emergency Use Authorization so that Pfizer can be administered to children ages 5 to 11

Doses for ImmunocompromisedCDC and ACIP recommend that people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because they are more at risk of serious, prolonged illness, receive an additional dose of the mRNA (Pfizer or Moderna) COVID-19 vaccine.This includes people who have:• Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood• Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system• Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the

immune system• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich

syndrome)• Advanced or untreated HIV infection• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune

response

Pfizer vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds

• First Meeting (VRBAC) October 26 to review data and move towards EUA• Followed by ACIP and CDC sign off November 2-3

• Smaller dose than adults• 2 shots, 21 days apart• Generated an immune response in children that matched what was previously

observed in 16-to-25 year olds. • The safety profile was also comparable to the older age group• Pfizer said no instances of heart inflammation were seen in the trial

participants.

Why Get Vaccinated?

• Protect yourself and those you love• Help keep students in school for in-person learning• Allows us to resume many of those activities we’ve missed• Let’s put this pandemic behind us!

Eric’s Story

“I am a survivor of COVID-19 and have been fully vaccinated, including my booster. Vaccinations, including the COVID-19, are nothing new to our science community. The COVID-19 pandemic is not a political crisis but a public health crisis. We must think about the health of others and how we can overcome this together.Something that helped me make the decision to get through the pandemic and also to get my vaccination was to ensure that I got my information from one reliable source. I decided early to get all COVID-19 information and guidance from the CDC. I was vaccinated not just for my own benefit, but for the others I am around every day that are vulnerable. I did this for all of us, and you should also!”

— Eric Vanatti, IDOC-Out program director

There is currently no evidencethat any vaccines, including COVID-19

vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men.