The First Covid-19 Vaccine (Pfizer)

Note: This information is only up to date as of December 2020 and is subject to change. 

It goes without saying that this year has been a challenging one in many ways. The Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has now spread widely within our population and penetrated deeply into our collective psyche. There has been tragic loss of life especially for those who are more susceptible. This has included the elderly and those who have comorbid chronic medical conditions or who are immunosuppressed. Despite this fact, for much of the population the risk of serious morbidity or mortality from Covid-19 is quite low. 

Now after nearly a year since the virus emerged, the FDA has recently approved 2 vaccines to combat the virus. Consequently, I have been getting a lot of questions from patients about my opinion about the vaccines. I hope to give you some general information from the published trial for one of the vaccines (Pfizer) so that you can make an informed decision for yourself. If you would like to review the published article yourself from the New England Journal of Medicine click here. 

To summarize, the trial published for the Pfizer Vaccine appears to show the following:
​

• The vaccine was given in 2 doses separated by 21 days.
• The population tested during the trial included individuals 16 and up and didn't include immunocompromised individuals. 
• The vaccine was tested and monitored for safety and efficacy for a period of 2 months.
• The vaccine showed a decrease in symptomatic infections by greater than 90% over a 2 month period but asymptomatic infection rates were not measured. 
• Common side effects from the vaccine included fever, fatigue, pain, and headache. Side effects were more frequent in younger individuals.
• The antibody response from the vaccine was lower for older individuals than younger individuals.
• The ability of the vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus was not tested. 
• All participants in the trial were not tested on a regular basis to see if they were positive for the virus. 
• Actual trial data is not publicly available for independent review.

Since the trial results was published and the general public have begun receiving the vaccine it appears that some serious anaphylactic allergic reactions have occurred according to some news reports that I have seen.  This was not reported in the published study from what I could ascertain. 

In addition, you should also be aware that vaccine recipients will be tracked and possibly have their information shared with state and federal regulatory agencies. 

Finally, I am not here to promote a particular treatment or a vaccine. Due to highly varying risk factors between individuals it is up to each person to determine if a particular treatment is right for them after they have considered the risks, benefits, and alternatives based on accurate information. The fear, uncertainty, and physical suffering caused by this virus should not preclude or supersede the right of each person to determine what medical treatment is right for them. 

Covid-19 treatment and testing is offered at my office. Feel free to call for more information.