Thread by @ScienceUpFirst

Side of fries? 🍟 Yes!
Vaccine side effects? 💉 Pass!
Luckily, neither last long.

Keep reading to learn why doctors are confident in the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, even long term.

Refs at the end!

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#ScienceUpFirst

Medications can have long-term effects, but vaccines work differently.

Medication is often taken daily for years.

Vaccines are given infrequently. For COVID-19, this means 1 or 2 doses, and then possible future boosters.

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#ScienceUpFirst

If you take certain medications every day, side effects may occur over time.

Vaccine ingredients don’t stick around your body. They drop in, chat with your immune system, and then disappear. We’re talking minutes to hours (3)!

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#ScienceUpFirst

Most vaccine side effects come from your immune response, not the vax ingredients. These occur within the first 8 weeks (4).

That’s why regulators asked the companies to provide 8 weeks of safety data after the last dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.

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#ScienceUpFirst

The way our immune system works makes long-term side effects unlikely.

BUT

Catching SARS-CoV-2 increases your risk of getting long- term health problems. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent long-term effects!

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#ScienceUpFirst

Misinformers love to spread fear and doubt, calling back to tragedies like thalidomide.

But these vaccines are different, and they’ve undergone more scrutiny than pretty much any drug… ever!

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#ScienceUpFirst

Health Canada sped up the review process for vaccines *without* compromising the quality. So, the opposite of what happens when you cram for a test. Health Canada? Built different.

Only safe, effective & good-quality vaccines are authorized in Canada.

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#ScienceUpFirst

COVID-19 vaccines seem too speedy? Well, advances in science and technology, international collaboration, and increased funding all helped their progress.

Teamwork makes the dream work! 🌈💖

cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/52424.html

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#ScienceUpFirst

Of the over 57 million vaccine doses given in Canada, 0.035% reported adverse effects.

74% of these effects are non-serious (5) and no long-term side effects have been detected.

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Health Canada, PHAC, the provinces and territories, and manufacturers continue to closely monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Health Canada will respond to any safety issues right away and will inform Canadians about any risks that arise.

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#ScienceUpFirst

Review:

- We receive vaccines infrequently

- Your body clears the vaccine ingredients within weeks, keeping just the immune memory

- Vaccine safety is continually monitored. When rare side effects happen, they are responded to asap

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#ScienceUpFirst

Being concerned about safety makes sense! You want what’s best for yourself and loved ones.

You can feel confident in COVID-19 vaccine safety. They are safe and effective - even in the long term.

References: tinyurl.com/SUFLongTerm

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#ScienceUpFirst