Why you don't need to be afraid of the vaccine

We are happy, can't wait, but also have a bit of skepticism. Can a vaccine developed in half a year really be good? Research shows that 40 percent of the Dutch are still afraid of a vaccine that has been developed so quickly and whose effects are unknown. Jan magazine, in which they spoke with epidemiologist Patricia Bruijning who answered all my questions and alleviated (any) concerns.

1. How can a vaccine be developed so quickly?
The answer is actually quite simple. COVID-19 is yet another variant of the COVID virus that has existed for years. As long as COVID has existed (even though we hadn't heard of it back then, the medical science had) research has been conducted on COVID and MERS and ways to combat it have been sought. COVID-19 resembles its ‘siblings’ a lot, and therefore the other research could be used to find a vaccine.

2. Is it safe?
Every vaccine or medicine is thoroughly and extensively tested by independent bodies such as the European Medicines Agency.

3. How is it possible that this vaccine was developed so quickly?
Because everyone feels the importance of finding the vaccine. Therefore, money was immediately available (something that usually takes a lot of time otherwise). The regulatory bodies were also immediately put on a leash so that all steps could be completed as quickly as possible. There were also many volunteers who offered to test the vaccine, something that is often different with other vaccines. And of course, there were also the other studies that could be relied upon.

I am not an epidemiologist, but this piece made it clearer for me. I understand that the speed at which this vaccine has been developed says nothing about the reliability of the vaccine. It is simply a case of ‘with united forces’.

Shall we cautiously fantasize about a new, old world?