Covid vaccine breakthrough: Will there be side-effects? Was the regulatory checks sufficient?

Despite news that both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna jabs have proved very effective in trials, social media is alive with claims they could do more harm than good. Some scientists, too, are trying to rein in hopes the virus could be sent packing for ever.

Here are the answers to all your questions from nasty side-effects to safety...

Q1) Are these vaccines a cure for Covid-19?

A1) No. They stop most of us suffering serious symptoms and reduce rates of infection. But they will not cure those who already have the virus before getting a vaccine, and we cannot be sure they will stop people spreading it. We have had flu jabs for a long time but they have only reduced death rates, rather than eradicating the illness.

Q2) Do I need to be vaccinated if young and fit?

A2) Yes, the virus will still be circulating even after older people get the jabs.

The best way to stop it spreading is to vaccinate as many people as possible. That way we can all get back to normal.

Q3) If I get a vaccine can I still infect people?

A3) Scientists are still not sure about this. The jabs are designed to make sure our immune systems can fight the virus once we catch it. They should stop 90 per cent plus of us developing serious symptoms.

But a problem with Covid-19 is that people are infectious even if they show no symptoms such as a fever or cough. So a person could pass on the virus after vaccination. Only after many more people have had the jabs will we know whether or not they are “transmission-blocking”.

Q4) Are the jabs safe for OAPs or people with chronic illnesses?

A4) Hopefully, but we are not sure yet. Neither vaccine has been tested on enough people to know how effective it is for all ages and people with different health issues.

Q5) Are they safe for women who  are pregnant?

A5) Hopefully but we do not yet know. Regulators still have to determine who can and cannot have them.

Q6) If I take a vaccine, can I then stop worrying about Covid-19?

A6) Sadly not. We do not yet know how long immunity against the disease will last. Scientists will need to closely monitor those volunteers who have already had the jabs to see if they maintain their antibodies and do not get infected in the future.

Q7) Will either of the jabs alter my DNA?

A7) No. Both inject RNA, which is essentially DNA of the virus, not human DNA.

The technique is known as messenger RNA because it tells our immune system to produce a protein that is present on a Covid-19 cell. This then enables our immune system to learn how to fight the virus with anti-bodies if we do get infected. Bacteriology expert Professor Hugh Pennington says the jabs will cause “no change to DNA any more than after infection with a common cold.”

Q8) Vaccines like this have not been used before, so can we be sure they are safe?

A8) Messenger RNA has never been used in a jab but scientists had been testing it for this purpose long before Covid-19. But the new vaccines still need to be checked by regulators in Britain and other countries.

Q9) Have the jabs been rushed through too quickly?

A9) It takes on average eight years to develop a jab and pharmaceutical firms have been unable to develop any for other coronaviruses. So the new ones do seem to be surprisingly quick results. But governments, universities and pharmaceutical firms have put unprecedented resources into this research. They have been aided by the huge numbers of volunteers willing to act as guinea pigs. In the UK alone, 250,000 citizens have stepped forward.

Q10) Are there any side-effects from these treatments?

A10) No serious side-effects have been reported in trials for either formulation.

Leading immunologist Prof Robin Shattock said: “When you are looking out for any side-effects, most occur very quickly. “Within a week or so of someone having a vaccine, we would see any severe side-effect. ”But as is the case with all medicines, even paracetamol, there can be some down sides.

Volunteers who took either jab did report some short-term effects such as a headache, pain at the site of the injection and muscle aches. But these can also all happen when you take the flu vaccine.

Q11) If someone has been vaccinated, will they still have to self-isolate if NHS Test and Trace tells them they have come into close contact with an infected person?

We are unsure what policies will be in place once the jabs are dished out.

Q11) Will the jabs be injecting a microchip? A11) Number One of the most popular anti-vaxx theories on social media is that Microsoft founder Bill Gates will use the vaccines to secretly put microchips in our bodies. There is about as much evidence for this as Elvis Presley living on Mars. CREDIT: The Sun.