The Coronavirus Vaccine: Is It Safe?

Alongside wild conspiracy theories, many people have raised doubts over approved COVID-19 vaccines. Is their dose of scepticism well-founded?

- Thomas Ling

Within a year of COVID-19 appearing, the seemingly unthinkable has happened: vaccines for it have started being administered. In the UK, the first of the vaccines, developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as safe to use on 2 December 2020. This assessment was made, according to the MHRA’s Chief Executive Dr June Raine, after “a rigorous scientific assessment of all the available evidence of quality, safety and effectiveness”.

For some people, however, the news was too good to be true. A YouGov survey indicated that one in five British people (and 42% of those aged between 25 and 49) say they’re unlikely to take the vaccine. The majority of those surveyed cite safety concerns as the reason for their reluctance.

Could the coronavirus vaccine have hidden long-term effects?

With all coronavirus vaccines having been trialled for less than a year when roll-out began, it’s true that their long-term effects are not completely understood. Yet, scientists say it’s unfair to compare the vaccines to the likes of thalidomide. First sold in the UK in 1958, thalidomide – a drug marketed as a sedative and treatment for morning sickness – was found to cause major birth defects when taken by pregnant women, three years after it appeared on the market.

First, unlike thalidomide, coronavirus vaccines are being tested with special consideration for pregnant women. For instance, while approved for most of the UK population on 2 December 2020, the Pfizer vaccine wasn’t given the green light for expectant mothers or those who are breastfeeding. This, the MHRA says, is now simply a “standard measure” for new vaccines that haven’t been specifically tested on that group.