+ Can we trust the people who made this vaccine?

It’s true that Big Pharma –the people who developed these vaccines are for-profit entities who have (and continue to have) many problematic practices. For example: drug companies putting profit before safety (for example, by aggressively promoting highly addictive opioid painkillers).

However, the process for developing these vaccines and the make-up of the products themselves has been transparent, with more information available to independent scientists than ever before.

• The development of these vaccines has been carried out in the public eye. In fact, reviews of vaccine safety and efficacy (a term used to mean that the vaccines work) have been published for anyone to read. That means you or your doctor can read the reviews and decide whether the research seems solid and the findings are believable.

• The people reviewing the research include medical leaders from diverse settings all over the country and observers (non-voting members) representing a wide range of medical groups, including some that have fought hard against medical racism. They have not been paid for this work – they have been involved to verify the quality of the research and to assure that equity is protected throughout the process. For a list of names of the reviewers and the places they work, visit the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) website. You can learn more about these people by looking them up online.

• Safety was not sacrificed: Previous research about other coronaviruses gave science a head start [link to video with explanation about virus]

• Doctors do not make extra money for giving vaccines. They are paid for a medical visit, same as any other primary care visit.

+ What has been done to prove the vaccine is safe?

The COVID-19 Task Force on Vaccines and Therapeutics is an independent, nonpartisan task force that was appointed by the National Medical Association. The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States.

In 2020, the COVID-19 task force met with scientists from Pfizer and Moderna and reviewed clinical outcomes data made available to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC ACIP.

The task force reviewed the data to determine if the Black community is at higher risk from the vaccine. Their research revealed the following:

• Ten percent of people who enrolled in both the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials were Black, equaling more than 4,400 and 3,000 people, respectively.

• Participants’ underlying health and profession were also tracked: 35% of Moderna’s study subjects were living with chronic health problems, including heart, lung or liver disease. About 22% were health care workers, and another 7% — about 2,000 women and men — were retail, restaurant or hospitality workers. (John Hopkins)

• The U.S. test participants for Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine were 15% Hispanic/Latinx; 13% Black/African American; 6% Asian and 1% Native American.(John Hopkins)

• Both the percentage and number of Black people enrolled are sufficient to have confidence in health outcomes of the clinical trials.

• Two of the vaccines that have been approved to protect against COVID-19 were studied on more than 70,000 volunteers, including adults of all ages and different racial and ethnic groups, and were found to work very well and be equally safe for all.

• Persons receiving the vaccine were > 94% less likely to develop COVID-19 infection as compared to the placebo group.

• Efficacy and safety were observed and consistent across age, gender, race, ethnicity and adults over 65 years of age.

Please refer to the CDC ACIP Recommendations for more details.

+ What is involved in the vaccine testing process?

Click here to see an infographic from the National Institute of Health that explains the four phases of testing trials that a vaccine must successfully pass before being appoved.

Click here to read the CDC safety steps in place for the COVID-19 vaccine.

+ What are possible side effects to the vaccine?

So far, side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines have been moderate, with serious reactions happening very rarely.

If you're planning to get the vaccine, allow yourself extra time to sleep and rest afterwards.

Short-term COVID-19 vaccine side effects following the Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations include:

• Pain and redness at the injection site
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches and pains
• Joint pain and headache
• Women are reporting side-effects more often than men

Side effects last an average of 1 to 3 days.

The side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are occurring at lower rates than vaccines for diseases like measles, polio or influenza.

Severe Allergy Side Effects

• There have been serious side effects for people with a history of severe allergies.
• In England, two people with developed an allergic reaction immediately after receiving the Pfizer vaccine outside of the clinical trial. These individuals recovered from the allergic reaction, with no long-term effects.
• People with severe allergies that experienced serious side effects were almost exclusively women.

While these reports are being investigated, caution should be given for people with severe allergies.

• According to the CDC, anyone who has severe allergies (e.g., anaphylaxis) to any of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine ingredients should not receive this vaccine.(John Hopkins)

The CDC says people with allergies to certain foods, insects, latex and other common allergens can safely receive the COVID-19 vaccine.