But, people have died after receiving the vaccine, you say. This is true. People die; it happens. But, when these deaths have been investigated, in contrast to reports on VAERS (the government Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) or NVIC (the National Vaccine Information Center website (this is the an organization described as "the most powerful anti-vaccine organization in America")), which are self-reported with no effort made to investigate their accuracy, they have consistently found no increase in the death rate over what is expected based upon age and the underlying health status of the patient. For example, the Norwegian Medicine Agency investigated 33 reported deaths after vaccination over the first year that vaccines were given and found no link. The European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee came to the same conclusion, adding that these patients all had multiple pre-existing conditions and some were on palliative care even before vaccination. Belgium conducted a study of their deaths after vaccination and came to the same conclusion. The report of a death in Peru in a study of one of the Chinese vaccines revealed that this patient was in the placebo group and did not receive the vaccine. [Ref: MSN]
This is a long paragraph because it is a serious issue. But there are innumerable reports from reputable investigative bodies, here and around the world, which have found no increased deaths due to the vaccine. You have to be careful what you read. There are a large number of anti-vaccine groups, here and around the world, which are trying hard to stop people from getting the COVID vaccine.
Like so much about COVID, this question is not fully answered and the data continues to evolve. Initial data suggested that immunity from natural infection may be as good or better than the vaccine (one data set suggests it may be 13 times more effective). But more recent data (published in Nature) "demonstrates that vaccinating these individuals substantially enhances their immune response and confers strong resistance against variants of concern, including the delta variant." Patients with prior infection plus at least one dose of vaccine had a "nearly 50-fold increase in neutralizing" antibodies compared with unvaccinated post-infection patients. This was especially true of antibodies against the delta variant in a study in healthcare workers. (JAMA, 326:5, Aug 3, 2021, pg 376-7) In addition, the interval between doses, which was set during the early studies of the vaccines (3 weeks for Pfizer, 4 weeks for Moderna), may be too short. In England, to maximize the number of patients receiving the first dose, they increased the interval for the Pfizer vaccine to 12 weeks. Some data suggests that this may have produced a more robust immune response. And the latest study suggests that vaccinated individuals are less likely to be infected than patients with prior infections are to be re-infected (meaning the vaccine was more protective than a prior infection). [Ref The New York Times]
Data also shows that only 9% of COVID deaths recently are in vaccinated patients. With the country at about the 60% fully vaccinated level, you would expect 60% of deaths to be vaccinated people if the vaccine was not effective. Nine percent represents an 85% reduction over expected, which is very good for a vaccine. In addition, most vaccinated patients who died were elderly or had significant co-morbid conditions. Unvaccinated patients are admitted to the hospital at 10 times the rate of vaccinated patients.
We know from work on other vaccines, that giving a late dose can enhance the immune response. For the Hepatitis vaccines (A and B) the final (second for A, third for B) dose is given 6 months after the first. Should we be doing this for the COVID vaccines? There is scant data on the benefit of boosters, but, while most people may not need a third dose (based upon currently available data), there is believed to be no harm in receiving a third dose, and it will enhance your immune response to some degree. Stay tuned, as this guidance may change as we continue to accrue experience.
CDC currently recommends that people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems[2] should receive an additional (3rd) dose of the two mRNA vaccines currently available in the US (Pfizer [full approval for age 16+], 3rd dose recommended for ages 12 and older [EUA - Emergency Use Authorization]; or Moderna [EUA], age 18 and older). They are also offering a third dose of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to everyone over age 18, not just people with certain medical conditions or occupations[3]. They have also recommended a second dose of the J&J vaccine to all recipients, at least 2 months after the first dose. The specifics:
Reports from the very beginning indicated that efficacy of the currently approved vaccines was very high, with the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer & Moderna) perhaps being somewhat better than the J&J vaccine. But what about over time? We now have a study, published in Science [MDLinx], which looked at effectiveness through October 2021. This showed that, while overall effectivess fell for all 3 vaccines (J&J vaccine from 86.4% in March to 13.1% in September; PfizerBioNTech from 86.9% to 43.3%; Moderna from 89.2% to 58%), they did much better protecting against death. For those under 65 years old, vaccines overall were 81.7% effective against death (Pfizer vaccine 84.3%; Moderna 81.5%; J&J 73%) and for those 65 and over, overall vaccine effectiveness against death was 71.6% (Moderna 75.5%; Pfizer 70.1%; J&J 52.2%). Note: This data is for the time period before boosters were in use, so it is likely that the performance of each vaccine will improve going forward. Also note that this study was performed in Veterans Affairs Health System patients, so it may not be quite the same for the general population.
So download the Docket App to your phone. This app connects you to the NJIIS (New Jersey Immunization Information System), which is the NJ vaccine registry. If you received your COVID Vaccine in NJ you should be listed. This app will allow you to show your vaccine proof without worrying that your card will be challenged. (Other states have similar systems; NY State calls it the Excelsior Pass and NY City has the COVID Safe App.)
And while you are at it, get the COVID Alert NJ App to notify you if you have been in close proximity to someone who has tested positive.
Here's a list of people the CDC recommends get an extra dose if they received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine:
-- Those with advanced or untreated HIV infection.
-- Cancer patients and transplant recipients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.
-- Those receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.
-- Those with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency.
-- Patients being treated with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response.
-- People who received a stem cell transplant within the last two years and are taking certain drugs.
The CDC says to talk to your medical provider about your health condition and whether a third shot is appropriate. ↩