Experts answer teenagers’ questions about the coronavirus vaccine
“This lecture is to give teenagers the right information, so that they can make a decision for themselves. So there’s no right or wrong”, emphasised host Fenna Ramos.
All young people aged 12 and over are now able to make an appointment to receive the coronavirus vaccination, and many of them have questions about it. So on Monday, 12 June, the Medicines Evaluation Board (CBG) joined with Utrecht ľϸӰ and U-Talent to host the Junior corona lecture: Questions about Vaccines. During the lecture, Medicines Evaluation Board President , UMC Utrecht paediatrician and epidemiologist and UU ethicist Naomi van Steenbergen answered secondary school students’ questions about the coronavirus vaccine based on the most up-to-date scientific knowledge.
“If you’re vaccinated, does that mean you’re completely protected against the coronavirus?” was the first question from the audience. “The chance of you becoming sick from the coronavirus after vaccination is virtually zero,” answered Bruijning. “The chance of you carrying the virus without noticing it is also much smaller with a vaccine, but it’s not impossible. But your body does recognise the virus, and can get rid of it quickly.”
Possible side effects
The lecture also dealt with some of the vaccine’s common and fairly mild side effects, like soreness where the shot was administered (around 8 out of 10), fatigue (around 6 out of 10) or headaches (around 5 out of 10). Another frightening side effect is inflammation of the heart muscles. “That’s a really serious side effect, but it’s not life-threatening”, Bruijning explained. The risk of developing an inflammation of the heart muscles is around 1 in 15,000 in boys and around 1 in 100,000 in girls. “But that’s also a possible side effect of a coronavirus infection. If you don’t get vaccinated, and you’re eventually exposed to the coronavirus, then you have around a 1 in 4-5,000 chance of becoming seriously ill.” So the paediatrician weighs the pros and cons. “If you put the risks on a scale, then the chance that you’ll become seriously ill is still much smaller if you get vaccinated than if you don’t.”
Urban legend about infertility
One of the rumours circulating on social media claims that people can become infertile from the coronavirus vaccine. So the young people asked if that’s true. “The answer is no”, was Bruijning’s firm answer. “There’s this silly rumour that the protein that protects against the coronavirus is similar to the protein that’s important for pregnancy, so it could make you infertile.” She disproved the rumour with two arguments. “The protein that’s important for pregnancy is a completely different protein. And even if the two proteins were the same, that would mean you could also become infertile from the coronavirus. That’s because the protein your immune system recognises when you’re vaccinated is the same one you’d have if you were infected with the coronavirus. But let me repeat: it’s a completely different protein. So that rumour is completely false.”
“The only time you’ll notice any side effects is in the first few days and weeks after vaccination,” says Prof. De Boer.
Long-term effects
Another teenager’s question dealt with the long-term effects of the coronavirus vaccine. “The vaccine is broken down and leaves your body entirely after a few weeks, but your immune system can still recognise it. So it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll have any long-term side effects,” explained Medicines Evaluation Board President Ton de Boer. “The only time you’ll notice any side effects is in the first few days and weeks after vaccination.” Doctor Bruijning replied with examples of other vaccines. “There have been vaccines in the past that turned out to have some longer-term side effects, but they were always two to three months after the vaccine was used in large numbers. We’ve never had a vaccine that suddenly caused a negative side effect after 10 years. And that’s only logical, because a vaccine only works for a short period. It trains the immune system to protect against a virus in the future, and then it leaves your body when the training’s over.”
How to decide?
The last question came from a father who was trying to decide whether or not to get his 12-year-old daughter vaccinated. “If you’re between the ages of 12 and 15, then it’s important that you talk to your parents about the decision to get vaccinated, and they have to give their permission,” explained ethicist Van Steenbergen. “As a parent, it’s important to take your child seriously and to talk to them about it. But if the young person and their parents can’t come to an agreement, then the young person should always have the final say.” Van Steenbergen concluded by suggesting: “Exchange arguments, but also respect that the other person is different from you. Everyone’s circumstances are different.”