From theories of government control and microchip tracking, to infertility; as COVID-19
myths flood the Internet, it’s no wonder some residents may feel uneasy.
But to help put these fallacies to bed, last week Cumberland City Councillor Ola Hamed invited members of the Cumberland community and surrounds to join Granville MP Julia
Finn, Granville GP Dr Mounjed Dagher and Infectious Disease Epidemiologist Dr Mohamad Assoum to discuss and debunk in a special myth busting seminar.
Your questions answered by Dr Assoum:
How does Delta compare to the flu and other viruses?
The Delta strain is a mutation of a mutation, making it a lot more infectious and unstable. Comparing this to other viruses, it’s twice as infectious as the Spanish Flu and as infectious as Ebola.
In 2019 we had 302,084 cases of the flu, of those 812 people died, that accounted for 0.221 per cent of death.
In 2020 in Australia we had 28,405 cases of COVID-19, of those 909 people died (3.2 per cent). This means COVID-19 is at least 1200 per cent more deadly than the flu in Australia.
How long does COVID last for?
There is a condition called Long COVID and around 30 per cent of people who recover from the virus will develop this. These are symptoms that can last over 18 months.
People who were part of the original wave all the way back in January last year are still suffering till now.
Is the vaccine still experimental?
This vaccine has gone through all the trials, phase 1-3 that any other medication or vaccine would go through.
The technology is not new, these have been in development since 2002, since the first SARS outbreak. Pfizer is FDA approved. Both AstraZeneca and Pfizer have provisional authorisation in Australia.
If the vaccines were created to address the Alpha strain, how effective is it for the COVID-19 Delta variant?
The common misconception about the vaccine is that they are not effective for other variants, but when you look at how they are made they target a specific component on the virus itself, which are the small spike proteins.
Can I get a third or a different dose of a different vaccine?
This is still a work in progress and researchers are studying its effectiveness. So far it’s showing positive results, however it seems side effects are generally harsher and can last a bit longer.
How do we know the long term side effects?
Serious side effects that cause a long term health problem are extremely unlikely with any vaccination and that is because vaccine monitoring has historically shown that side
effects generally occur within six weeks of your dose. This is because your peak immune reaction is always within six weeks of receiving a vaccination
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.