Neurologist talks COVID-19 vaccines and MS

But should you get vaccinated if you’ve already had COVID-19? When does full immunity happen after vaccination?

Dorlan Kimbrough, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Duke University School of Medicine, neurologist at Duke University Hospital in its multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology division, and a member of a group of experts convened by the National MS Society to develop vaccine guidance, joined the Society for an Ask an MS Expert episode on vaccine efficacy, safety and side effects.

Dr. Kimbrough cleared up vaccine myths and common questions; below are highlights to know.

• How vaccines work
• Johnson & Johnson vaccine
• Side effects
• MS & the vaccine
• Racial disparities in healthcare

COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Photo: iStock

How vaccines work

What can you tell us about this new, mRNA approach to vaccines?

While no one is a fan of the pandemic, the fact that it has kept this pace and caused all this calamity, it’s really accelerated the implementation of technology that was kind of coming along slowly from a research standpoint before. So, this is an opportunity to have new technology be brought out and applied faster than it otherwise would have, which in a way, helps get the vaccine out to people more quickly. And it’s effective and it’s safe. mRNA is mainly a vehicle of introducing the vaccine that makes the production of it a lot swifter than some of the methods before, and when you have a worldwide pandemic, it’s important to move swiftly. That’s why this technology was employed for this particular vaccine.

There have been all sorts of myths and stories circulating on various social media platforms that mRNA vaccines can alter someone’s DNA, they can cause infertility in women and even that they’re full of dangerous toxins. Dr. Kimbrough, would you mind clearing up some of these myths for us?

One thing that could be reassuring is that the minute anything doesn’t quite add up or there’s been any concern, like we’ve seen with the blood clots, immediately there’s investigation of what’s going on. Some of the things that are being reported, sometimes it’s on social media, sometimes it’s the far corners of the internet, would have captured notice and would have brought a lot of scrutiny. There’s a lot that’s just patently false.

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