KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Reports from major vaccine studies have suggested there will be few side effects, and we should anticipate some.
Managing expectations is necessary with every big project, and the COVID-19 vaccine is no exception.
Public health campaigns need to be very careful. First, COVID-19 vaccine trials have had about 30,000 participants, but we need to anticipate there will be side effects as more people are vaccinated.
In addition, there will be a lag before the vaccine starts to work, and people who don't understand this could mistakenly think the vaccine made them sick if they happen to come down with COVID-19 soon after a shot.
People might also blame the vaccine for unrelated health problems and amplify those fears in social media.
This is why it's important that there is a constant dialogue with the American people from scientific leaders.
