COVID-19 is defined as a disease caused by a novel coronavirus now known as severe acute respiratory

syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; previously known as 2019-nCoV), which was first reported in
Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in the midst of an outbreak of respiratory disease cases. On
December 31, 2019, it was originally reported to the WHO. The WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a
global health emergency on January 30, 2020. The WHO announced COVID-19 to be a global pandemic
on March 11, 2020.

Nearly 4,000 clinical trials of medications and vaccines under development anywhere in the world, now
we have vaccines development to prevent COVID-19. According to the WHO, “The Food and Drug
Administration has granted Emergency Use Authorization for two coronavirus vaccines. One created by
Pfizer and BioNTech and a second created by Moderna. Initial doses of the vaccine were distributed in
the United States (and worldwide) beginning in December 2020. Both vaccines have shown similar
efficacy levels of near 95%.”

Vaccines are safe and save lives. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has people asking
questions if what are the reactions and side effects, you can expect. Many people are ambivalent
because, while they want to protect themselves against infection, they also fear possible side effects
from vaccination. They have doubts as to whether the vaccines are actually safe, given the rapid pace of
development, and whether possible side effects have been adequately studied.

The most common symptoms reported after vaccination were pain where people got the
shot, fatigue, headache, and muscle soreness. These were more common after the second dose. In addition,
about 1 in 4 people reported fever and chills after the second shot. As William Schaffner, MD, an infectious
disease expert with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville who listened to the presentations
said, “On the whole, I thought it was very reassuring,”. But according to DW.com that “small number of
people who received the Moderna vaccine experienced facial nerve paralysis.” Last but not least
according to WebMD.com “through Jan. 18, 196 people have died after getting a vaccine.
Most of these deaths 129 were in patients in long term care facilities.”

For now, taking the vaccine is still not safe yet, yes it may be free but, we should still wait until it is
credible and effective enough. Even if it is given that the government of the Philippines has yet to agree
to make the vaccine available for its people. Still the credibility is not enough, we can’t risk our live to
take the vaccine that may be the reason of our own death.