We are back again with the fourth (and final) episode in our series on debunking vaccine myths. In this week's episode, we focus specifically on the two COVID-19 vaccines (from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna). We kick things off with a discussion of the vaccine development timeline and address concerns that the vaccines were rushed; we break down the typical clinical trial timeline and how things are affected by the urgency of a pandemic. Next, we debunk the misconception that RNA vaccines are brand new by describing three decades worth of research that has gotten us to this point. We move on to squash the idea that animal trials were skipped (spoiler alert: they were not)! Next, we talk about why we shouldn't just get one dose of the vaccine. We discuss allergic reactions to the vaccine and that they are extremely rare. We also make a distinction between people with allergies versus those who are immunocompromised/immunosuppressed or have autoimmune disorders. And finally, we conclude by discussing why people who have previously had COVID-19 should still get the vaccine since vaccine-induced immunity may actually be more robust and last longer than natural immunity.

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