Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

2 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

3 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

21 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

22 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

23 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

1 day ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

1 day ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

1 day ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

1 day ago
Does mRNA COVID Vaccine Interact With Your DNA? Will a Vaccine Hurt Pregnancy Chances?
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 4 years ago on
March 3, 2021

Share

‘Vaccine hesitancy’ is a growing concern, according to officials with the Fresno County Department of Public Health, that could prevent herd immunity if not addressed effectively.

Some people are holding out for one reason or another. The Atlantic recently wrote a story about vaccine hesitancy where they explore a variety of reasons people are sitting on the sidelines. Dissent. Deliberation. Distrust. Indifference.

“We want to reduce that vaccine hesitancy with our education, with our community based organizations and with the media to get the word out.”Fresno County Community Health Division Manager Joe Prado

People like Julia Robertson who commented on a Johns Hopkins Medicine Facebook post, question whether the vaccine could have an impact on pregnancy. “All you need to know is that no vaccines have been ethically tested or proven safe for pregnant women,” wrote Robertson.

Others, like Jamie Doolan question whether mRNA will interact with his DNA. “No long term proof of what this vaccine will do to you in years to come. Good luck to those who believe, I’ll take my chances,” wrote Doolan under a Facebook post that was trying to debunk the rumor.

Fresno County Community Health Division Manager Joe Prado is engineering the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and says the only reason the United States won’t be able to vaccine every adult by the end of May like President Joe Biden promised Tuesday is due to people opting out.

“We want to reduce that vaccine hesitancy with our education, with our community based organizations and with the media to get the word out,” said Prado Tuesday afternoon.

Prado’s concerns are backed up by a recent survey from the United States Census Bureau showing that around 25% of all unvaccinated adults will probably not, or will definitely not, receive a COVID-19 vaccine once one is available to them.

Survey respondents who indicated uncertainty about receiving a vaccination (49%) were also asked the reason(s) for their reluctance.

The most frequently selected answers included:

  • Concern about possible side effects (51%) and plans to wait to see if the vaccines are safe (50%).
  • Feeling that other people might need the vaccine more right now (28%).

Side Effects Exactly as Advertised

“The adverse effects that are reported that show up in that CDC wonder database, for the most part, are exactly as advertised.”Fresno County’s interim health officer Dr. Rais Vohra

Fresno County’s interim health officer Dr. Rais Vohra explains there are databases being kept by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that anyone in the public can query about adverse side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines.

“The adverse effects that are reported that show up in that CDC “wonder” database, for the most part, are exactly as advertised,” says Vohra.

Those side effects are:

  • Soreness
  • Flu like feelings for about a day
  • Headaches
  • Muscle aches

Vohra says those are the most common and frequently reported side effects. But, he says there are still several ongoing studies.

“People are also doing a deep dive into more unusual or exotic side effects that may be related to these vaccines,” says Vohra. “Those papers are being published as the information comes in.”

Vohra believes all of the available and forthcoming information will help people make their own risk assessment.

Do the mRNA Vaccines Change Your DNA?

UCSF researchers say the mRNA vaccine is a new kind of drug that uses genetic material to train cells to respond to COVID-19. But that doesn’t mean it changes a recipient’s DNA, said Bryn Boslett, MD, an infectious disease expert who is leading the vaccination effort at UCSF.

“It’s (mRNA) basically a piece of material that contains instructions,” said Boslett. “Once it’s injected, it’s taken up by your cells, but it never enters the cell nucleus where all of your DNA exists within your cells.”

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines, which means they contain messenger ribonucleic acid.

“The mRNA is a just temporary message,” said Boslett. “After the spike protein gets made, your body destroys the mRNA so it doesn’t stick around in the body. It doesn’t mix with any genetic code. It doesn’t go into your DNA. I’m not at all worried about there being any kind of damage to a person’s DNA from these vaccines.”

The CDC says:

  • mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA (genetic material) is kept.
  • The cell breaks down and gets rid of the mRNA soon after it is finished using the instructions.

Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines for During Pregnancy

The CDC says until findings are available from clinical trials and additional studies, only limited data are available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, including mRNA vaccines, administered during pregnancy.

  • Limited data are currently available from animal developmental and reproductive toxicity studies. No safety concerns were demonstrated in rats that received Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy; studies of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are ongoing.
  • Researchers have studies planned in people who are pregnant.
  • Both vaccine manufacturers are monitoring people in the clinical trials who became pregnant.

CDC and the Food and Drug Administration have safety monitoring systems in place to capture information about vaccination during pregnancy and will closely monitor reports.

In mid-December, GV Wire℠ asked Prado if someone who is pregnant should get the vaccine. Prado answered, “The recommendations are that pregnant women within the health care worker population may get the vaccine.”

[activecampaign form=25]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

DON'T MISS

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

DON'T MISS

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

UP NEXT

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 35,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

UP NEXT

CA Rolls Back Its Landmark Environmental Law to Speed Housing Construction

UP NEXT

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

2 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

2 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

2 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

2 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

2 hours ago

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

2 hours ago

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

3 hours ago

Markets’ 90-Day Tariff Pause Rollercoaster Nears an Uncertain End

3 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

3 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign a massive package of tax and spending cuts into law at a ceremony at the White House on Friday, ...

59 minutes ago

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
59 minutes ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

The Madre Fire burning near New Cuyama has scorched 52,592 acres as of Friday, July 4, 2025, morning, making it California’s largest wildfire of the year, with only 10% containment and multiple evacuation zones in place. (CalFire)
1 hour ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Tops as 2025’s Largest Wildfire in California

1 hour ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

A pumpjack operates at the Vermilion Energy site in Trigueres, France, June 14, 2024. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

Billy Wayne Sinisgalli, a 54-year-old transient known locally as Wayne, was found dead along a rural Fresno road Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a suspicious death. (Fresno County SO)
2 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

Israel Builds a Fence Around the West Bank
2 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

A view of the site of Thursday's Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati (Beach) refugee camp, in Gaza City, July 4, 2025. (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
2 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend