COVID Vaccine: Understanding the facts and dispelling the myths

Thrilled to have been given the opportunity to play my part in addressing the misconceptions circulating among the black and ethnic minority communities about the Covid vaccine.

These were in the form of personal one to one conversations and webinar sessions.

I was able to draw on my experiences as a GP / Family Physician, COVID 19 Emergency Practitioner for the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, as well as from new insights gained when I completed the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London course on COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus.

The COVID19 Q&A webinar session was a panel discussion with the panel made up of health and community experts from the United Kingdom, United States of America, Egpyt and Ghana. The panel was put together by the BAME Health Collaborative, a UK Charity Organisation whose focus is on giving back through policy innovation, research, collaboration and BAME voices sharing life-changing healthcare experiences.

BAME Collaborative COVID-19 Q&A Session addressing the common misconceptions about the COVID Vaccine as it relates to Ethnic minority communities.

I went on to organise an educational session for the members of the Igbo Community in Dorset. A small community to which I belong. The session was aimed at understanding the facts and dispelling the myths about the COVID vaccine.

Prior to the session, the members of the community were invited to share the questions they had about the vaccine, as well as any myths they had. This was done via WhatsApp and a list was collated as shown below.

Questions and Myths about the COVID Vaccine

1. Is it true that they will change my DNA?

2. Is it true it was made using aborted babies?

3. Will I get the mark of the devil if I get vaccinated?

4. They were produced too quickly, are they safe?

5. Population tested during the vaccine trial represents a very small fraction of the world population. Surely there are people who may react negatively to the vaccine. How can this be avoided?

6. Is this safe for pregnant women/nursing mothers?

7. is it true that the vaccine may create HIV antibodies and if so, is this good or bad?

8. Considering the vaccine production was rushed, have the long term effects been studied? What if people develop fertility issues In the long run or even worse, turn into Zombies 🧟‍♂️  🧟‍♀️

9. Can you still get the virus after the vaccine (Pathogenic priming)

10. Is this vaccine once in a lifetime or does it expire in the body, and if so how long does it last?

11. Do I have the option to choose whose vaccine I want: Pfizer or Oxford?

12. Is it true Bill Gates will take control of my finances if I get the vaccine

13. Are there nanobots, in this vaccine and e functions, how are we sure they will not be transmitting info to the manufacturer.

14. Is this vaccine not a way to control us all, whilst a few play god overall.

In preparation for the session, I created my 1st animation project explaining how vaccines work. I must admit I did learn a lot while creating it and was very pleased with the outcome.

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Feedback:

The post-session feedback showed an improvement in the understanding of how vaccines work and there was an increase in the number of attendees who opted to receive the vaccine when offered.

This session not only helped to address Covid myths and misconceptions but also highlighted the benefits of having the Covid vaccine.

This would hopefully contribute to helping reduce the growing health inequalities in the UK.

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