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Southwestern Public Health Addresses COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Friday, 14 May 2021 05:18

Dr. Douglas MacPherson from St. Thomas Hospital joined Southwestern Public Health's media conference yesterday to talk about the COVID-19 vaccines and how they're safe and effective.

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC HEALTH REGION - Southwestern Public Health brought in Dr. Douglas MacPherson from St. Thomas Hospital to the most recent SWPH media conference to talk about vaccine hesitancy.

Dr. MacPherson says all of the COVID-19 vaccines available in Canada are safe and effective.

"These vaccines were produced in a very appropriate way with enormous international collaboration and extraordinary funding and that is why they were able to get online so quickly. They did go through all the appropriate regulatory processes for safety and efficacy. As we would expect, as we roll out to a larger population, we are going to see things that weren't anticipated during the initial research and release of these agents."

Dr. MacPherson says the majority of the side effects from COVID-19 vaccines are normal and expected.

"That is a sore arm, maybe a little bit of muscle aching, some headache in the hours after getting the vaccine but rarely lasting more than 2 or 3 days and often responding to simple measures, such as icing or Tylenol."

He says concerns that these vaccines could have wider impacts on the population are unfounded because of the nature of how they are produced. 

"These are not whole viral or live viral particles, they are sub units that allow our own immune system to develop targeted responses to that which will allow us protection. They are as safe as any other vaccines that we do receive routinely." 

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