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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to plague the world, new hope has come in the form of vaccines. But is the COVID-19 vaccine vegan?
This is the question a group of leading vegan doctors tackled in a video (below) – addressing some of the most common concerns about the new injection.
Several organizations have created vaccines, with the vaccine being administered in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, created by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
Covid-19 vaccine
According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), it is “ currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine to those most at risk for coronavirus ”. Patients need two doses of the vaccine, at least 21 days apart.
Priority patients include high-risk health workers. Others include people who live or work in nursing homes and some people aged 80 and over who already have a hospital appointment in the coming weeks.
Questions about vaccines
But the vaccine has been suspected among anti-vaxxers, as well as others who have questions about it.
These include how it was developed so quickly and whether the vaccine is vegan as it has been tested on animals.
Vegan doctors and the COVID-19 vaccine
In an effort to address these issues, a group of highly reputable vegan and plant doctors have created a video discussing some of the contentious issues surrounding the vaccine.
Among the doctors on the video are Danielle Belardo, MD., Garth Davis, MD., Mauricio Gonzalez, MD., Sondema Tarr, DPM., Angie Sadeghi, MD., Robert Ostfeld, MD., Stacy De-Lin, MD. and Avi Bitterman, MD.
One of the issues doctors have raised is that the vaccine does not actually contain any ingredients of animal origin – however, many vegans have still raised the question of whether they should take it.
‘Not natural’
According to Dr. Gonzalez, a major problem with many vegans and vaccines is the belief that vaccines are not natural. He said: “I think a lot of vegans are wary of vaccines because they sound like too much science fiction. They think it’s extremely artificial – like that, it’s something strange and alien.
“I would add that it’s actually not – it’s actually genius. It takes advantage of our natural abilities. It just boosts our natural ability… vaccines are as natural as eating an apple.
Dr Sadeghi added, “I’m so glad you raised this issue. A lot of my vegan friends have said, “How could you promote this? It is not natural ”. I would tell them that they have no idea what we need to do on the front lines.
“When you come to the intensive care unit and you have the infection itself, you’re going to be given a ton of chemicals, a ton of medicine. So if you really want to stay natural, go for the vaccine. It is the most natural thing you can do to prevent the consequences of the disease. “
Developed quickly
Another issue the doctors addressed was how quickly the vaccine was created – and whether that should affect its safety or effectiveness.
According to Dr. Davis: “One thing people need to understand is that we have been making vaccines for many years. The science behind vaccines has shown extremely weak long-term effects – extraordinarily small.
“Now do we know what the long term effects are? Obviously no. We haven’t had COVID-19 for a long time. But the actual design of the vaccine’s mRNA (a type of vaccine) has been worked on for decades. We have already done other work on vaccines against covid-type coronaviruses.
“What people need to understand is that this vaccine does not get into your cells and into your DNA and does not recreate the virus. It just creates a protein that goes on the cell that’s recognized, so it goes into your body and then it goes out. This vaccine is not with you 24 hours later. It is simply the mechanisms of your own cells that produce the protein. Once these cells have been attacked and killed, there is no more virus inside your body. “
Is the COVID-19 vaccine vegan?
For many vegans, a crucial issue with the vaccine is that it has been tested on animals. However, overall, doctors believe vegans should take the vaccine.
This guidance is also consistent with the Vegan Society, which says, “The definition of veganism recognizes that it is not always possible or practicable to avoid the use of animals, which is particularly relevant in medical situations.
“In the case of Covid-19, vaccination will play a fundamental role in fighting the pandemic and saving lives. As all vaccines are currently being tested on animals, at this point it is impossible to have a vaccine that was created without animal use. “
He adds: “We would like to point out that the Vegan Society encourages vegans to take care of their own health and that of others, in order to continue to be effective advocates for veganism and” other animals.
“As there is no mandatory vaccination plan, it is the responsibility of each individual to make an informed decision regarding vaccines, keeping in mind the definition of veganism, with the support of their healthcare team. local.”
Vegan doctors and animal testing
Speaking of the vaccine, Dr Bitterman says there has been testing on animals – as with any other medical product. Speaking specifically of the Pfizer vaccine, he says a total of 106 animals were used for testing (and then killed). This breaks down into 64 mice and 42 macaque monkeys. Regarding another vaccine (Moderna), he says the data is not so clear, but he thinks the number is similar.
However, he believes that refusing to take the vaccine for animal testing reasons is not “ analogous to rejecting other [animal] products, suggesting several reasons.
“Firstly, you don’t create more demand, so it’s not like when you look at cosmetics,” he says. “If you buy a cosmetic product that has been tested by a company that tests on animals, they tend to say, ‘okay, we’re going to have our sales, then we’re going to have another product that we put online once. that sales have stopped… and then we’re going to test on more animals.
“This is not how it works in preclinical testing for approved pharmaceuticals. The test is already done. Taking the vaccine will not encourage anyone to test this vaccine on other animals.
“I’m not going to defend animal testing. I think what happened to these animals is unfortunate. In many, if not all, cases animals are euthanized … however, if you compare that to the number of people saved and the expected number of people saved, that’s astronomical.
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