The COVID-19 vaccine is only effective for half a year? Will all the benefits be lost if the second shot is taken late? Can’t get vaccinated if you are allergic or planning to get pregnant?

Statements such as "the protection period of the new crown vaccine is only half a year", "people with allergies or those preparing for pregnancy cannot be vaccinated", and "all previous efforts will be wasted if the second dose of the vaccine is taken late" have been appearing one after another on the Internet.

Are these claims true? Several experts have analyzed and interpreted them.

Misreading 1:

The new coronavirus vaccine only protects against COVID-19 for half a year

In response to the statement that "the COVID-19 vaccine only protects for half a year", Liang Yaqiong, deputy director of the Immunization Planning Department of the Nanjing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that this statement was a bit out of context. "In fact, the COVID-19 vaccine has been developed for less than a year, and China's current data only covers half a year, proving that the vaccine is effective for at least half a year. As time goes by, the data will be updated at any time. If you say that 'the COVID-19 vaccine only protects for half a year', it is a misunderstanding of the vaccine's protective power."
Do I need a booster shot?
Liang Yaqiong said: "Nine-month data will be released soon, and this data will be continuously updated. If the antibody level drops sharply after a certain period of monitoring, a reasonable suggestion will be made on whether to strengthen vaccination. These will be decided based on later observation data."

Misreading 2:

If you take the second vaccine shot late, all the previous efforts will be wasted

Some people are worried that if they miss the second dose of the new crown vaccine for some reason, "all the previous efforts will be wasted". Is this true?

In this regard, Liang Yaqiong said that after the first dose of the vaccine is completed, the second dose is required to be at least 3 weeks apart, and the two doses should be completed within 8 weeks. If the second dose of the new crown vaccine is overdue, it can be made up, even if it has been more than 8 weeks, there is no need to re-vaccinate, just make up for the missed doses.

Misreading three:

Cannot be vaccinated if you are planning to get pregnant

The "Technical Guidelines for New Coronavirus Vaccine Vaccination (First Edition)" officially announced that pregnant women are among the people who are contraindicated for vaccination. So the question is, is it reasonable to say that people who are planning to get pregnant cannot be vaccinated?

Wang Huaqing, chief expert of the immunization program at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said: "Based on our experience in vaccination, we have also understood the safety of the vaccine. In fact, when preparing for pregnancy, there is no need to consider the impact of the vaccine on pregnancy. Both men and women can be vaccinated."

What should I do if I find out I’m pregnant after getting vaccinated?

Wang Huaqing said: "According to the information we have learned and some of the basis for the early application of vaccines, if a vaccinated person becomes pregnant, no special medical measures are needed, including termination of pregnancy. This is also an international consensus."

Vaccination is not recommended for pregnant women, but no special measures are required if you become pregnant after vaccination. Is there a contradiction between the two?

"Some vaccines are not given to pregnant women out of caution, but there have been no reports of abnormal conditions in pregnant women or fetuses caused by the vaccines. We will continue to strengthen monitoring in the future," said Wang Huaqing.

Misreading 4:

People with allergies cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19

Many people are concerned about whether people with “allergic constitution” can get the new coronavirus vaccine?

In the "Technical Guidelines for COVID-19 Vaccination (First Edition)", two of the vaccination contraindications are related to "allergies". One is for those who are allergic to the active ingredients, inactive ingredients, or substances used in the production process of the vaccine, or those who have had an allergic reaction to the same vaccine before;

The second is people who have had severe allergic reactions to vaccines in the past.

So the question is, there are many people who are allergic to spring pollen and antibiotics. Can they get the new coronavirus vaccine?

An Zhijie, deputy director of the Immunization Program Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the current vaccine ingredients do not contain antibiotics, so antibiotic allergy is not a contraindication to vaccination. In other words, people who are allergic to antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin can be vaccinated with the new coronavirus vaccine.

"For general allergies, some may be pollen allergies, because pollen has nothing to do with the ingredients of the vaccine, the so-called allergic constitution is not a contraindication to vaccination," said Andy On.

What are the symptoms of allergies caused by the new coronavirus vaccine?

Andy On said that the percentage of people who are actually allergic to vaccines is not very high. The most common is allergic rash, which is often transient and recovers quickly. Of course, we have also monitored some slightly more serious symptoms, such as anaphylactic shock, but the probability of this is very, very low, generally less than one in a million.

The incidence of severe allergies to the new coronavirus vaccine is so low, is it necessary to stay at the vaccination site for 30 minutes?

Andy On explained that severe allergic reactions usually occur about 15 minutes after vaccination, so as long as you stay at the vaccination site for 30 minutes, if relatively serious reactions such as laryngeal edema and anaphylactic shock occur, the vaccination site can provide timely treatment to avoid other accidents. The overall vaccine is very safe, but in order to prevent these very small probabilities, everyone should still follow the requirements and stay at the vaccination site for 30 minutes before going home after vaccination.

Source: Beijing Daily (ID: Beijing_Daily) compiled from @CCTV.com, Litchi News, etc.