On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the COVID-19 crisis a global pandemic. Luckily, we now have a vaccine that can protect us from this disastrous disease. Yet, many people, including senior citizens, are refusing to get vaccinated. Are your parents reluctant to get the COVID vaccine? This may be why…

Many elderly people fear that the vaccine may change their DNA. Some also worry that the vaccine isn’t fit for human consumption because the companies behind vaccine development may have skipped essential steps of the clinical trial process to legalize the vaccine faster. However, these are all merely myths, and we will debunk them within this article.

Why Your Parents Might Be Reluctant to Get the COVID Vaccine

The CDC recommends that senior citizens, like your parents, be one of the first groups to receive the covid vaccine due to their fragile health caused by old age. Unfortunately, older people are less likely to believe in the vaccine's benefits and are often extremely reluctant to receive it.

Luckily, there is a way around this. Below are two common covid vaccine myths and fears, followed by an in-depth explanation that debunks them! You can use this information to help ease your parent’s minds and convince them that the covid vaccine is safe and that they should get it as soon as they can!

Myth 1: People Fear The Mrna Vaccine Will Change Human DNA

Many people are afraid that using the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, both of which employ the mRNA immunity technique, will change their DNA. While it isn’t irrational to be afraid of something like this (after all, mRNA does qualify as genetic material), it is still important to understand that this fear can be easily debunked with a simple lesson in genetic biology.

Vaccines containing mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) do not tamper with your DNA. In fact, they never actually enter the nucleus where DNA is found. Instead, they stay within the cell’s cytoplasm, far, far away from your DNA.

These vaccines work by instructing the cell to create antigens, or special surface proteins, that match the COVID-19 virus. When the cell develops these antigens, it will easily identify the virus and prepare for attack! None of these events affect the DNA in any way.

Furthermore, mRNA is only temporary. It will live within the cell up until the cell has read the mRNA code and created the appropriate antigens to prompt an immune response within the body. The mRNA will never come into contact with our DNA and hence has no way of changing it, so people should not fear this vaccine but embrace it instead.

Myth 2: Many People Believe That Important Steps Were Skipped During The Clinical Trial Phase To Legalize The Vaccine Faster

This is another extremely popular fear concerning coronavirus vaccines. Many people worry that the pharma companies behind these vaccines may have skipped essential trial steps to publish the vaccine faster.

Typically, medicines and vaccines take years to develop and be accepted by medical bodies. However, the covid vaccines were released within a year of the pandemic’s start.

What people fail to understand, though, is that despite the rapid development of these vaccines, no steps were missed during the clinical trial phase. The Pfizer vaccine was tested on over 40,000 people before being released into the market. The Moderna option was tested on over 30,000 individuals too.

The reason behind the vaccine’s rapid development lay in the fact that governments from across the world were eagerly supporting these medical trials. As a result, big pharma companies did not have to wait for financial grants or volunteer recruitment, which ultimately helped speed things up by a great deal!

Another thing that enabled speedy vaccine development was a set of existing research concerning mRNA vaccines. Even though the coronavirus vaccine is the first to officially employ the mRNA method, it is not the only one that has been tried for mRNA immunity efficiency. It’s just the keynote example of an mRNA vaccine that finally made it into the market.

What Does This Mean?

In essence, the vaccine is essentially harmless. It’s easy to get caught up in the fear and frenzy concerning the pandemic, especially due to false news being propagated across social media platforms.

As a result, many people have chosen to forgo their covid vaccine scheduling. However, if the world is to attain herd immunity, everyone must get vaccinated regardless of whether they believe in the vaccine’s benefits.  

How Can I Get My Parents Vaccinated Against COVID? 

Now that you’re aware of the common fears many people have concerning the new COVID vaccine, you can take steps to eliminate these fears amongst your elderly family members, particularly your parents.

Older people are at a higher risk of experiencing fatal symptoms upon contraction of the coronavirus, which is why they are amongst the first to receive the immunity shot! The COVID vaccine is currently only available in limited quantities. So, be sure to schedule a vaccine shot for your elderly parents before slots run out!

Booking a vaccination appointment is a long, winding process, though. Hence, it’s understandable why so many people are delaying it or showing reluctance. However, while delaying the COVID vaccine  might be a risk you can afford for young members of your family, it is not one you can afford to take with your elderly parents.

Luckily, you can speed up the vaccine registration process by contacting a reliable vaccination scheduling service, such as Ohana Concierge. This free service is dedicated to assisting senior citizens with the vaccine booking process. From learning about what to do to helping someone upload your documents, Ohana’s team can help you!

So, there are no more reasons to keep delaying your elderly parents’ vaccine appointments!