Shall I take the COVID-19 Vaccine?

I got asked this question so many times recently so I thought I do a short post about it:

Are you in the high risk groups?

If you are, then you should not hesitate and take the vaccine.

Is the vaccine safe? 

Yes. 

Aaah, how could you be so sure? 

I am not, in science (or medicine to be specific) hardly anything is certain. You have a headache, you take an Aspirin, most of the time it works, and I bet you that you have never checked the side effects. Aspirin is about 130 years old and we still find data about new side effects and new usage. 

The vaccine is safe, it may cause an allergic reaction - and that is expected with any drug, some localised mild symptoms and that's all. 

But they rushed it, so what long terms side effects it might have? 

On the long term, you might die of covid-19, or old age, before we find any long term side effects. 

All drugs come out after years of research and trials, then other side effects start to appear on some people and certain conditions. As I mentioned about Aspirin, the more people use, the longer it is used, the more likely to find side effects. 

As for the rushing part, yes it was rushed through, but there is a moral to the story. In the UK we had the Nightingale hospital built in 10 days, 4000 critical care beds achieved in less than a fortnight! Where there's a will, there is a way.

 For example, to do research you need ethics approval, to apply for an ethics approval it could take two to 3 months, this is time when you (the researcher) doing nothing. Cutting down the bureaucracy did help, also fast enrolling of volunteers and government agencies working alongside the research teams and being updated regularly, this significantly shortened the time. 

Surely this rushed approach would compromise safety, wouldn't? 

No and yes.

No because : The safety of the product is something no drug company (or research center) could risk, especially with the vast public interest in this product. 

Yes because we didn't give the vaccine enough time to study its efficacy and effectiveness, especially in cutting transmission and long term immunity. 

So, if you don't want to get the vaccine because we don't know how long the immunity will last, then you have a valid point, not a good one, but valid.. 

Which vaccine would you take? 

Oxford Astra Zeneca. If I have the choice. Because its cheaper and they were committed not to make profit during the pandemic phase. So as a taxpayer, I will go for the cheaper vaccine.. 

It is important to note how impressive this achievement is, especially giving the pressure and restrictions that scientists had to face while working on the vaccine. when science and intelligence reach such a pinnacle, it is definitely something we need to celebrate not undermine or believe stupid conspiracy theories. 

If you have been /or will be offered the vaccine, then take it. 

My main problem with the vaccine is not the science, it is politics. Politicians want this to be their moment of victory, "they did this", they brought us the "cure", the elixir of life. They want this to be the end of Coronavirus pandemic, but the truth is: it is not over yet, it is a step forward, but definitely it is not over. 

Ahmad Baker