Why Should I Get a Coronavirus Vaccine? Can a Vaccine Developed This Quickly Be Trusted?

Should I Get a Covid-19 Vaccine?

Covid-19 vaccines being developed quickly, along with other preconceptions, may make some people reluctant to be vaccinated. In particular, people with chronic diseases, a history of health problems, or concerns about long-term side effects have one question in mind: Should I get a Covid-19 vaccine?

During Covid-19 vaccine development, routine processes to ensure that any vaccine is safe, such as licensing and approval for use, were not skipped. Safety is the highest priority and there are many reasons to be vaccinated.

What Questions Do People Have About Coronavirus Vaccines?

Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Give Me Covid-19?

No.

None of the approved or recommended Covid-19 vaccines contains the live virus that causes the disease. This means a Covid-19 vaccine cannot give you Covid-19.

Many different types of vaccine are being developed (see types of coronavirus vaccine). Their shared aim is to introduce the virus that causes Covid-19 to our immune system and teach it how to fight the virus. These processes may sometimes cause symptoms such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that your body is developing protection against the virus that causes the disease.

It generally takes a few weeks to develop immunity after vaccination. This means a person could contract coronavirus and become ill before or immediately after vaccination, because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

Will My Covid-19 Test Be Positive After I Get a Covid-19 Vaccine?

No.

Neither recently approved or recommended vaccines nor the Covid-19 vaccines currently in clinical trials cause your Covid-19 test (PCR test) to be positive.

If your body develops an immune response, which is the purpose of vaccination, some antibody tests may be positive. Antibody tests indicate a previous infection and the level of protection you may have against the virus. Experts are still investigating how Covid-19 vaccination may affect antibody test results.

If I Have Already Had Covid-19 and Recovered, Do I Still Need a Covid-19 Vaccine?

Yes.

Because of the risk of severe health problems associated with Covid-19 and the possibility of getting Covid-19 again, vaccination is recommended regardless.

Check when you are eligible in the schedule prepared by the Ministry of Health: Priority Order of Groups to Be Vaccinated

Note: The rest of the list (stages 2, 3, and 4) can be seen at the end of the article.

Experts do not know how long a person is protected from becoming ill again after contracting and recovering from Covid-19. The immunity a person gains from infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests that natural immunity may not last long.

We will not know how long vaccine-induced immunity lasts until we obtain more data on how well the vaccines work.

Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Protect Me From Covid-19?

Yes.

A Covid-19 vaccine teaches your immune system how to recognize and fight the virus that causes Covid-19, thereby protecting you from Covid-19.

Protection from illness is important because, although many people have mild Covid-19, some may develop severe Covid-19. This disease can cause long-term health problems or even death. Covid-19 vaccines appear to be effective, particularly in protecting against severe disease.

• Related Topic: What Are the Long-Term Effects of Covid-19 Infection? 50 Symptoms

Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Change My DNA?

No. Covid-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA.

The shared goal of Covid-19 vaccines is to teach your body how to protect itself against a possible future infection. If the actual virus enters your body, this immune response and antibody production protect us from becoming infected. 

If I Want to Have Children One Day, Is a Covid-19 Vaccine Safe for Me?

Yes. People who want to have children in the future can get a Covid-19 vaccine.

Based on current information, experts believe there is no likely situation in which Covid-19 vaccines would pose a short- or long-term risk to someone trying to become pregnant.

Scientists carefully study possible side effects of every vaccine at the time and even years later. As with other vaccines, Covid-19 vaccine studies are being conducted carefully now, and these careful studies will continue in future years.

A Covid-19 vaccine, like other vaccines, teaches our bodies to develop antibodies that fight the virus causing Covid-19 to prevent future illness. There is absolutely no evidence that antibodies formed by Covid-19 vaccination would cause any pregnancy problem, including development of the placenta. There is also no evidence that fertility problems are a side effect of any vaccine. People planning to become pregnant now or in the future may be vaccinated when their turn comes.

I Am Worried About the Long-Term Side Effects of New Vaccines. How Can Anyone Confidently Say That Vaccines Developed So Quickly Will Have No Long-Term Consequences?

There are reasons why coronavirus vaccines were developed quickly during this pandemic:

1. First, phase-3 clinical trials had not yet published their results when manufacturing began.
2. Second, there were many volunteers interested in trials testing vaccine efficacy, which accelerated the process. Researchers generally wait months, and sometimes even years, for people to volunteer for trials.
3. Finally, there was a great deal of disease in the community, making it possible to demonstrate vaccine efficacy more quickly. Coronavirus caused millions of people to become ill in the United States alone. By contrast, Zika viruses, for example, while extremely serious, affected far fewer people.

No study reports showing serious vaccine side effects have been seen over the past few months. If serious side effects had existed, they would have been seen by now. This may change, and scientists may therefore update their recommendations about coronavirus vaccines.

Why Should I Get a Covid-19 Vaccine?

A Covid-19 vaccine helps prevent you from getting Covid-19

All Covid-19 vaccines under development are carefully evaluated in clinical trials and are licensed or approved when they substantially reduce your likelihood of getting Covid-19.

Based on vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts may prevent you from being severely affected even if you contract Covid-19. Getting vaccinated may also protect those around you, especially people at high risk of severe illness from Covid-19. Experts continue to investigate the effects of vaccination on disease severity as well as preventing the spread of the virus causing Covid-19.

Covid-19 Vaccination Is a Safer Way to Help Provide Protection

Covid-19 can have serious and life-threatening complications. There is also no way to know how it will affect you. If you become ill, you may spread the disease to friends, family, and others around you.

Before any vaccine is licensed or approved for use, clinical trials must demonstrate that it is safe and effective, and this includes a Covid-19 vaccine. The known potential benefits of a Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the potential risks of using it under the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conditions known as Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

Getting a Covid-19 vaccine may provide some natural protection, known as immunity. Current evidence suggests that the risk of getting Covid-19 again is rare within 90 days of first contracting the virus. However, experts are unsure how long this protection lasts. The risk of severe illness and death from this virus outweighs the benefits of natural immunity. Covid-19 vaccination helps protect you by generating an antibody response (immune system) without you having to contract the disease.

Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of Covid-19 about which experts want to learn more.

Covid-19 Vaccination Is the Most Important Tool to Help Stop the Pandemic

Wearing a mask and keeping social distance help reduce your risk of exposure to the virus or spreading it to others, but these precautions are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system, preparing you to fight if you are exposed to the virus.

We need to use the tools available to stop the pandemic, and remember that scientific observation of the vaccine continues.  

Some Specific Patient Questions

• Question 1:

My wife is 72 and is receiving chemotherapy for breast cancers that have metastasized to the lymph nodes. So far, treatment has shown tumor shrinkage and there has been no spread. I am 73. Should my wife and I be vaccinated?

• Answer:

The central question is whether a vaccinated person can transmit the disease to someone else. There are limited data on whether vaccination effectively limits disease spread. Studies addressing this question are ongoing. However, current coronavirus vaccines are known to protect effectively against Covid-19 infection; vaccination is therefore recommended for all older people and relatives of cancer patients.

Considering the cancer patient's situation, people with weakened immune systems have concerns about vaccination. Until recently, they were thought not to benefit sufficiently from vaccines; however, studies of influenza and pneumonia (Türkçe) vaccines have shown that people with solid (organ, solid-tissue) cancers also benefit from vaccines, and vaccination is therefore recommended for cancer patients. Of course, every patient's situation must be assessed individually, because some patients' blood / immune systems may be more immunized, and this decision should be made with the medical oncologist / hemato-oncologist who knows the patient's condition. 

• Question 2:

I have rheumatoid / psoriatic arthritis and receive biological medicines by infusion every month. I also take methotrexate twice a week. Is the vaccine safe for people with weakened immune systems?

• Answer:

The answer is the same as for the previous question: while the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines has not been studied in immunocompromised people, the danger from Covid-19 is greater in those with a weaker immune system. Since the benefit may outweigh the risk, vaccination is generally recommended for them too, but you should discuss and make the decision with your treating doctor. 

• Question 3:

My 22-year-old son reacted to the MMR vaccine when he was about 6. He developed a fever a few days after vaccination and developed immune thrombocytopenic pupura. Should I be concerned about him getting a coronavirus vaccine?

• Question 4:

I received a tetanus vaccine when I was 7 – 8 and suddenly lost consciousness for about 4 days. Later, I had hives several times during childhood and mild asthma until age 25. I went through a period of heart disease, including a thoracotomy for mitral and aortic valve surgery. I have a pacemaker and take metoprolol, torasemide, and penicillin daily (after two episodes of endocarditis). I also had a hemicolectomy because of cancer. I have no problems with flu vaccines. Overall, I have felt better in the past few years. Should I get vaccinated?

• Answer to Questions 3 and 4:

Having allergies other than anaphylaxis, a severe and sometimes life-threatening allergic reaction to vaccines or components of the Covid-19 vaccine, is not a contraindication to receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.

Anyone receiving one of the medicines granted emergency use authorization will be observed in the clinic for 15-30 minutes after vaccination, as serious reactions occur within the first few minutes after it.

• Question 5:

I work in a factory that has continued active production during the pandemic. I have not had Covid-19 so far. I have reservations about vaccination. Should I be vaccinated?

• Answer

Vaccination is recommended for all adults in the community. However, those working in priority sectors, particularly to maintain services and production, should definitely be vaccinated. We have listed in detail above why most concerns about vaccination are unfounded. Vaccination currently appears to be the only and most effective way available to break the chain of coronavirus transmission.

*

Continuation of the "Priority Order of Groups to Be Vaccinated" List