Thread by @WIRED

Billions of dollars were spent to produce the Covid-19 vaccines that will (hopefully) help bring an end to the pandemic, but prepping the US population for their side effects is getting much less attention.

That could be a big mistake 1/ wired.trib.al/vV0Q2zb

In a November survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 71% of people said they will likely take the vaccine. For the hesitant, the leading worry was fear of side effects.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have side effects. They’re real, but we need to contextualize them 2/

Trial participants have described experiencing “a severe hangover” and “fever ... fatigue and chills.” One participant said he shook so hard with chills that he cracked a tooth. A few more serious reactions have been reported, but most are minor and fade after roughly two days 3/

Having a modest reaction to a vaccine is normal, a sign of the immune system revving up in response. Every year, people have to be reassured that receiving the flu vaccine doesn’t infect them with influenza.

With the Covid vaccines, the stakes are even higher 4/

Wild claims, such as the vaccines contain microchips or that they can alter the body’s DNA, are already spreading. In normal times, the people who would be expected to speak for science on a national scale would be federal health leaders.

These are not normal times 5/

The incoming administration is working to re-establish federal credibility, but given the politicization of the virus, the answer may lie in the kind of volunteer action that has birthed @COVID19Tracking, @CovidActNow, the Covid Exit Strategy, and a raft of other projects 6/

It may ultimately become the responsibility of everyone who supports the vaccine, no matter who they are or where they are in the queue, to actively work to dispel concerns about it.

There is no time to wait for an organized messaging campaign 7/ wired.trib.al/vV0Q2zb