Healthcare professionals and public health officials have a central role in discussing vaccination against COVID-19 with patients, according to a June 11 joint statement from the World Health Organization and the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities.
The release from WHO and ICMRA, an international executive-level coalition of key regulators from every region in the world, urges healthcare professionals to consistently communicate accurate information about COVID-19 vaccination with the public. The statement aims to help providers answer questions about the role of regulators in the oversight of COVID-19 vaccines and explains how vaccines undergo robust scientific evaluation to determine safety, efficacy and quality.
The statement also provides answers to the following questions:
- How have the vaccines been developed so quickly? Does this mean that their safety and efficacy has been compromised?
- Will mRNA vaccines affect the DNA of vaccine recipients?
- How long will COVID-19 vaccination provide protection for immunized people?
- Why are there so many vaccine candidates?
- What if many people start getting a reaction from a particular COVID-19 vaccine?
- How are regulators speeding up the time it takes to authorise a COVID-19 vaccine?
- Did our country approve this COVID-19 vaccine, or are we relying on another country's approval?
- Why weren't very rare blood clots with low platelets with the AstraZeneca or Janssen vaccines picked up during clinical trials?
For the full statement, click here.