Column: Dr Roger Wong On The Covid Vaccine
[Column written by Dr Roger Wong]
The novel coronavirus is an adversary that humans have never faced before, and as such we are at a huge disadvantage. The coronavirus can be lethal; COVID-19 has contributed to thirty deaths in Bermuda over the period of a single year. Imagine—thirty road deaths in twelve months would be considered a crisis, a call for action. Likewise, we can and must fight back against the coronavirus.
Instead of passively hoping that you yourself will somehow manage to escape the virus, you can personally join all Bermuda in taking action against it. We can fight Covid-19 by wearing masks, social distancing, washing our hands frequently, and vaccinating our bodies against the virus.
The Covid vaccine helps our bodies to design and generate antibodies specifically against Covid-19, giving us more of an advantage that we do not naturally possess.
As general physicians, my colleagues and I advise our patients as best we can—according to the highest standards of scientific, evidence-based medicine—on how each and every one of them can enjoy the best possible overall health.
Vaccinations have been a tool in our medical arsenal for over two hundred years. Humans have fought back against diseases such as polio, tetanus, yellow fever, smallpox, measles, and so on very effectively using vaccinations; and most children growing up in Bermuda today are taken routinely by their parents to receive vaccines. Whilst it is important in addition to take other basic measures to maintain your personal health—optimizing your diet and lifestyle for a robust immune system—the Covid vaccine is currently the best protection against the coronavirus that medical science has to offer.
The vaccine will teach your body how to protect itself against Covid-19 before you become infected and even if you never do. As the pilot of your own healthcare, consider the vaccine as a potentially preventative measure that just might help to stop the Covid virus from putting you in ICU. A 2021 study published by the New England Journal of Medicine and the British Medical Journal showed that being vaccinated against Covid considerably reduces one’s risk of becoming severely ill from the virus or requiring hospitalization because of it.
You should also consider your loved ones, your friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. Consider those who are especially vulnerable: the elderly, for example, and persons with pre-existing health problems like asthma. Consider those whose pre-existing illnesses make them physically unable to receive the vaccine. Because of the Covid virus’ flexible nature, and because every human body is in some way unique, you could be carrying the virus and spreading it to others while feeling perfectly fine yourself. You may have no symptoms at all, you may not even realize you are carrying the virus; yet you can still, without your knowledge, transmit it to others who may become seriously ill.
If you have taken the vaccine, however, your risk of infecting those around you is significantly mitigated. The more of us who are vaccinated, the stronger our chances of reducing the spread of Covid-19.
Even if you’ve tested positive for Covid, you should consider getting vaccinated. The vaccine may well help to strengthen your immunity against other variants of this fast-mutating virus.
Whether we admit it or not, our daily routine involves risks. We Bermudians press on with our lives despite these risks. The risks of adverse side effects from the Covid vaccine are far outweighed by the vaccine’s advantages.
Consider taking the Covid vaccination. Discuss it with your doctor. Do it for yourself. Do it for your loved ones. Do it for all Bermuda.
- Dr Roger Wong, Point Finger Road Medical Center
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You can find more information on the links below and also on our dedicated website BermudaCovid.com, which is the most comprehensive resource and historic record available of Bermuda’s handling of the pandemic.
- All: Our coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic here
- Bermuda Stats: Chart of testing stats here
- Vaccinations: Data covering vaccinations here
- Live Updates: Continuous updates here.
This is the first mRNA vaccine ever.
It has ONLY been approved for Emergency Use, there has been no long term testing (as is normal for a new vaccine).
The vaccine manufacturers have no liability for this vaccine.
We need answers to ‘what are the long term effects of this experimental vaccine?’ and ‘Who is responsible for any damages that might occur?’
You know, you can actually do your own research on the mRNA vaccine. If you are capable of comprehension, you could understand how it works, how it was developed and the testing timeline.
The FDA is now in the process approving for use in 12-16 year olds
I agree, but there’s no way to know any of the long-term effects because there’s no long term studies.
And that right there folks, is why intelligent people are not lining up in droves to get injected with this experimental cocktail.
We are not “ANTI-VAX,” we are “ANTI EXPERIMENTAL VAX.” Please get that through your thick, sheep skulls. When it gets FULL FDA approval, I’ll get it.
Soon come
https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissaholzberg/2021/05/04/pfizer-will-file-for-full-fda-approval-for-covid-19-vaccine-by-end-of-may/?sh=29c3efbb24c0
You’re wrong. mRNA vaccines have been around for a long time according to the CDC.
“mRNA Vaccines Are New, But Not Unknown
Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades. Interest has grown in these vaccines because they can be developed in a laboratory using readily available materials. This means the process can be standardized and scaled up, making vaccine development faster than traditional methods of making vaccines.
mRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). As soon as the necessary information about the virus that causes COVID-19 was available, scientists began designing the mRNA instructions for cells to build the unique spike protein into an mRNA vaccine.
Future mRNA vaccine technology may allow for one vaccine to provide protection for multiple diseases, thus decreasing the number of shots needed for protection against common vaccine-preventable diseases.
Beyond vaccines, cancer research has used mRNA to trigger the immune system to target specific cancer cells.”
Get vaccinated, folks.
Before any guarantees about long-term effects or liability become available to science, countless innocent people ARE guaranteed to die horribly of COVID. I’d rather take my chances with the best protection that science has to offer than risk letting my loved ones suffer in a way that I can personally at least try to prevent by getting vaccinated myself. The “wait and see” attitude is plain irresponsible. It amounts to expecting other people to test out the vaccine for you. It amounts to expecting others to protect you from the virus by getting vaccinated — while you wait for decades’ worth of clinical research to be undertaken elsewhere — and to suffer in your place any side effects of the vaccine while you figure out whom you’d want to blame for them. In return, you are unwilling even to try to do what you can to protect others and yourself.
Thank you for volunteering for the live trials of this experimental vaccine, we need this data, its vital.
Your participation is important.
I am not expecting others to protect me from this virus by getting vaccinated, or to suffer in my place. I have and will continue to use non-pharmacological (masks and handwashing and social distancing) methods to prevent my infection, and boosting my immune system and there are effective treatments. You inferred i am unwilling to try to protect others, that’s simply a lie. I am fully vaccinated, not an anti-vaxxer as you would like to believe. I am not looking for anyone to blame. If there are long term or debilitating side effects (and for some there are – check the VAERS data) someone should be responsible – it will not be your health insurance company. I remain skeptical of this fast tracked experimental vaccine, that is true. I’ll remain in the control group now.
Pfizer will seek full FDA approval at the end of this month. It has been around since 2002 I believe. It is working just look at the countries that have past the 50% mark in vaccinations. The rate of infections and Deaths have declined from a just a few months ago.
great and informative right up, In the great doctors words
Vaccinations have been a tool in our medical arsenal for over two hundred years. Humans have fought back against diseases such as polio, tetanus, yellow fever, smallpox, measles, and so on very effectively using vaccinations; and most children growing up in Bermuda today are taken routinely by their parents to receive vaccines.
with the above in mind why then did we start shots at 21 and over, now 16 and over and soon maybe 12 or older. While the jabs are given we still carry the virus.
leaves some to think really hard, is the risk that unknown or are we all lab test. and the risk is worth the outcome.
Shush
@Not Applicable, you are wrong. It seems mRNA vaccines have been around for a good while lol
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html
Towards the bottom of the page:
“Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades. Interest has grown in these vaccines because they can be developed in a laboratory using readily available materials. This means the process can be standardized and scaled up, making vaccine development faster than traditional methods of making vaccines.
mRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). As soon as the necessary information about the virus that causes COVID-19 was available, scientists began designing the mRNA instructions for cells to build the unique spike protein into an mRNA vaccine.
Future mRNA vaccine technology may allow for one vaccine to provide protection for multiple diseases, thus decreasing the number of shots needed for protection against common vaccine-preventable diseases.
Beyond vaccines, cancer research has used mRNA to trigger the immune system to target specific cancer cells.”
Because many more of us will do so long before it becomes reasonable to expect the guarantees you’re looking for.
We do know the short term and long term adverse effects of the virus and they are not pretty! The adverse effects of all vaccines are seen within 3 months of the administration. That time has passed for the Covid vaccine and we have only seen very rare problems. My feeling is that we will all either get the virus or the vaccine. If you are ‘senior’ or vulnerable the vaccine may prevent an early death or a very uncomfortable time in hospital. If you are young and healthy the chance of these is much smaller but not ruled out, and getting the vaccine at the least almost completely stops the chance of spreading the virus to others.
Dr Wong is a much loved and respected physician .
Maybe his message will help give some pause to the hesitant.
Agreed and I certainly do hope so.
Unbelievable SMH!
I’m just saying. Facts are facts and you can’t dispute them.
I have not read any other comments about this article but I have read the article. I have to say that it is well written and indeed true. Having said that I want to highlight how medicine backs up my claim that simply having the antibodies in our bodies is the goal even if this article does not steer the reader that way directly. It does highlight the importance of a good immune system and that the purpose of the vaccine is to have an immune system produce the antibodies. Later on it says that the vaccine will be a booster if you have already had covid and recovered. This is the key to our community immunity and freedom from the threat of covid. They can not say it because of liability but I will say it once you have the antibodies and can produce them as a immune response upon contact with the covid virus you are immune. The liability falls on how long the antibodies are effective against the current circulating strain of covid. Yes this group of viruses are DEADLY and we can not overlook that but it is always because of our individual immune response and ability to produce an effective antibodies in the numbers to overcome the disease before it overcomes us. So yes like tetanus they prefer to gather data and give you a booster shot at specific times. In any case if you do not have a immune response from the vaccine you will be vulnerable to the disease unless they get you immunoglobulin treatment. This has to be produced from donated blood and refined so the patient can receive it at the time of infection. So why don’t we save people by donating blood and relieve ourselves of the worrying about the disease by advocating for antibodies testing? Well because people have opinions and ideas and lack knowledge and information and insight into what happens in the body. I can honestly say that I first learned about immune systems in high school as I used to suffer with asthma.I have not had any issues with it in years partially because I have a better understanding of what was happening in my body and chose to do things that would overcome the issues that lead to the asthma attacks. This meant cardio vascular exercise on a regular basis and knowing the triggers of asthma for me. To make it plain and simple healthy lifestyle is always best for overall health!
Have a blessed day!!!
No offense to Dr. Wong but how is this a Vaccine? This is currently a shot… I’m sick of people labeling the shots as something they are not… Look at the definition of vaccine… This does not fit in that category… We call the flu one the flu shot not the flu vaccine for a reason. Covid is no different
How is it a vaccine? Read the definition of vaccine from the dictionary. You will see this is no vaccine but a shot