At this time last year, people around the globe wondered when they would have a viable shield to protect themselves from the coronavirus. In short order, revolutionary vaccines were developed and tested. Three of those vaccines were authorized for emergency use in the United States; others are in various stages of testing and may join the roster later this year.
But with any new frontier in science, there is the possibility of setbacks. Last week, U.S. health officials asked for a pause in Johnson and Johnson vaccinations while rare blood clots are investigated. Similar questions have been posed about the Astra-Zeneca vaccine. And more broadly, some people wonder whether getting vaccinated is safe at all.
To answer these questions and review what we know so far is Dr. Carole Myers of the University of Tennessee College of Nursing. She walks HealthConnections host Brandon Hollingsworth through the facts about vaccines and what public health officials can do to reassure vaccine skeptics.