All About the COVID-19 Vaccines: Q&A with Dr. Jane Kelly, Assistant State Epidemiologist with SCDHEC

The following Q&A session with Dr. Jane Kelly, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control Assistant State Epidemiologist, was part of our January 2020 Caffeinated Conversations focused on COVID-19 vaccination

 

 

Q: Do the first and second doses of the vaccine contain the same dosage?

A: Yes, and it’s important you get two doses from the same manufacturer. If the first dosage is from Pfizer, the second dose should be too. The same applies for Moderna. Both Pfizer and Moderna have the same dose and ingredients in their respective first and second vaccine doses.

Q: Should people with sulfa allergies be concerned about the vaccine?

A: There’s no sulfa in either vaccine. There are no other antibiotics, mercury, aluminum, adjuvants, or preservatives in either vaccine.

Q: As the amounts of vaccine shipped to SC increase, are changes likely in the phases of people who are eligible?

A: Statewide, the vaccination process is currently in phase 1a, with vaccinations given to health care workers, those 70 and older, and residents of long-term care facilities. (You can find out what phase you are in by clicking here.)

The next phase, 1b, will include frontline essential workers who are at increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, including manufacturing workers, grocery workers, teachers and other education sector workers, and officers at local and state levels of law enforcement. Phase 1c is likely several months away, but more people could become eligible for the vaccine sooner if more vaccine doses are shipped to South Carolina earlier than expected.

Q: How do demographics affect likelihood of people choosing to take the vaccine?

A: Some people of color have expressed vaccine hesitancy for several reasons, with some dating back to some unethical medical events in the past. People who are hesitant about getting the vaccine should look for reliable information sources to decide for themselves. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Don’t rely on social media as there may be rumors or misinformation posted.

Q: Did the vaccine trial studies include an equal distribution of ethnic groups? Is that information we can obtain to share the distribution to assuage any concerns?

A: Pfizer and Moderna both tested a wider range of people when it came to age, race, and prevalence of underlying health conditions to get a better representation of the U.S. population during their trials. Both companies scaled up their phase 3 testing to get a more representative sample size during vaccine trials.

Q: How would you explain the vaccine’s importance to teens who see misinformation across social media sites?

A: The vaccine is currently not approved for anyone under 16, but studies are being done to get the vaccines to teenagers. Teens, like adults, should only trust verified, scientific sources of information when it comes to the vaccine. Information seen on social media should be verifiable elsewhere, or else it’s likely not true.

Dr. Kelly: “Even if I don’t understand the technicalities of the publication, and that’s what I would say for teenagers as well, you want to know was this published in a reputable science journal, or was this just a rumor?”

Q: If you get the vaccine, can you still spread COVID-19?

A: It’s currently unknown if a vaccinated person can still spread COVID-19. The vaccine likely blocks you from having symptoms, but it is possible you could be asymptomatic and be contagious during the 10 days you are infected. That is why the use of facemasks and social distancing is important until the vaccine is more widely distributed.

Q: If you've tested positive for COVID-19, do you have antibodies that would not require a vaccine?

A: Studies have shown the vaccine gives you higher antibody levels than having COVID-19, as it stimulates the immune system more. If you have had COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state it’s safe to wait 90 days before getting the vaccine, as you should be mostly covered by your own antibodies for that time. The vaccine is safe for those who have recovered from COVID-19.

Q: I heard Moderna would protect you from spreading it while Pfizer would not. Is that true? 

A: Moderna randomly tested participants in its phase 3 trials for COVID-19 before both their first and second dose. They found a certain number of people developed an asymptomatic COVID-19 infection during the period between the first and second dose. The rate of infection was about three times higher among those who received a placebo shot, meaning even the first dose of the vaccine can have preventative effects. But both doses are still required. Pfizer did not do this testing initially, but they are now.

Q: Are you able to choose which vaccine?

A: Because of South Carolina’s vaccine distribution plans, all Moderna vaccines are currently being dedicated to long-term care facility residents, so we cannot currently choose which vaccine we get. That could change in the future.

Q: How many variants of the virus are there currently? Any idea of how many variants the vaccine will protect against?

A: At present, there are three variants circulating; one originated in Britain, one in Brazil, and one in South Africa. Variants of viruses are common, especially with RNA viruses like COVID. When it comes to the British variant, there is no evidence vaccines would not work against it. There are unknowns, however. It’s unknown, widely, how these COVID variants respond to medications and treatments used in hospitals. It’s also unknown if all COVID tests can detect the variants. For the South African variant in particular, there are many more mutations, so further testing is required.

Q: Given the interventions measures, what’s your prediction of return to pre-COVID-19 life?

A: Dr. Kelly: “It’s going to be a long time. We have vaccine hesitancy. …when they do epidemiological, mathematical models, they suggest if we can get 70% herd immunity that would be protective, but that relies on a lot of assumptions. We might need to get 80% of the population vaccinated. For measles, to suppress a measles outbreak, you have to have 95% of people vaccinated to suppress measles. It’s not as high, COVID-19 is not as infectious as the measles, but it’s more contagious than the influenza. So, it may be a year or more before things are really back to normal. It depends on how quickly people are willing to be vaccinated.”