Largest ever COVID-19 study shows vaccines overwhelmingly safe – The Mandarin

A mass study of COVID-19 vaccines has shown they are overwhelmingly safe despite the presence of some side effects.

The largest study of its kind involved more than 99 million people across Australia, Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand and Scotland who received a vaccine.

The researchers are collaborators to the Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN), which has used an electronic database to leverage large amounts of data to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine safety.

The analysis found vaccine safety signals were warranted for myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (swelling of the thin sac covering the heart) after mRNA vaccines and Guillain-Barr syndrome (where the immune system attacks the nerves) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (a type of blood clot in the brain) after an AstraZeneca vaccine.

A new signal for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (inflammation and swelling in the brain and spinal cord) was also detected, warranting further investigation.

Molecular virologist and leader of the infection and immunity research strength at Monash University Malaysia said given the number of people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, severe side effects were rare.

He said it was significantly safer to take a vaccine than risk COVID-19.

With over 13.5 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses administered worldwide and approximately 71% of the global population having received at least one dose, the impact on public health has been profound, saving numerous lives and mitigating the severity of symptoms associated with the virus, he said.

The likelihood of experiencing a neurological event following a COVID-19 infection is markedly higher, up to 617 times, compared to post-vaccination occurrences. Similarly, the risk of myocarditis is greater after a COVID-19 infection than following vaccination, with statistics indicating a risk of 35.9 cases per 100,000 individuals after the second vaccine dose, compared to 64.9 per 100,000 after contracting COVID-19.

Based on comprehensive data and numerous publications, I firmly advocate that the risk of adverse events remains substantially lower with vaccination compared to contracting SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Thus, vaccination remains the vastly safer choice for protecting against COVID-19.

The Australian government offers compensation to people who receive serious side effects as a result of the vaccine. This is not unusual in vaccines, most of which carry a small risk of adverse effects.

The scheme covers losses or expenses of $1,000 and above due to the administration of a TGA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, or due to an adverse event that is recognised to be caused by a COVID-19 vaccination.

The scheme is currently due to expire in September.

University of Sydneys School of Public Health immunisation expert Julie Leask said the government should expand the program to include all vaccines.

The Australian government should extend its COVID-19 vaccine injury compensation scheme, due to end in April. It should continue to include COVID-19 vaccines but extend it to all vaccines recommended on our national program, she said.

People vaccinate as part of a social contract. Very rarely a person will get a serious side effect. It is right for the government to compensate for the costs from rare vaccine side effects, which can include care, medical expenses, and time away from work.

READ MORE:

Health secretary vs virus revisiting the COVID-19 pandemic firestorm

Here is the original post:

Largest ever COVID-19 study shows vaccines overwhelmingly safe - The Mandarin