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Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 6: Can I trust the COVID-19 vaccine? It was developed so fast.

Although the COVID-19 vaccine was developed faster than typical, the vaccines were still required to go through all the proper phases of testing and analysis to make sure they are safe and effective—no step in the process was skipped. The COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. They are also under the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. As of June 2021, more than 300 million doses of COVID-19 have been administered in the U.S. All of the scientific data has proven them to be safe and effective and critical to ending the global pandemic.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 5: What about the recent reports of myocarditis?

There have been reports to the voluntary Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) of inflammation of the heart muscle—called myocarditis— happening after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. This is likely vaccine-induced myocarditis and has been observed in mostly young men after receiving their second dose of vaccine. However, the number of individuals that reported this side effect is very small compared to the hundreds of millions of people that have been vaccinated. Also, most patients who experienced myocarditis had a full recovery from symptoms. The benefits of the getting vaccinated outweigh the small risk of myocarditis.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 4: Can the COVID-19 vaccine affect my fertility?

This myth arose from a false social media article. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that indicates that COVID-19 vaccines can affect fertility. The false report stated that the spike protein on the coronavirus was the same as another spike protein found during pregnancy, and that getting the COVID-19 vaccine would cause a woman’s body to fight this spike protein and affect her fertility. This is not true. The two spike proteins are completely different, and getting the COVID-19 vaccine will not affect fertility.

During the Pfizer vaccine testing, 23 women volunteers involved in the study became pregnant, and the only one who suffered a pregnancy loss had not received the actual vaccine, but a placebo. In addition, a large number of pregnant women have received the COVID-19 vaccine, and it has been shown to be completely safe.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 3: Can the COVID-19 vaccine change my DNA?

The vaccines cannot change your DNA. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. They do not enter the nucleus of the cell where our DNA (our genetic code) resides and do not affect our DNA.

So, what do mRNA vaccines do? The mRNA vaccines contain instructions that tell your own cells to make a protein (the little spike or “crown” that you see on pictures of the coronavirus) that is unique to COVID-19. These spike proteins cannot harm you or give you COVID-19. Your immune system reacts to this protein and activates a response, which includes making antibodies that can recognize and fight COVID-19 if you do get exposed.

Interesting fact: The vaccine itself only stays in your body for about 72 hours after vaccination, but your immune system now has the ability to recognize and attack the virus should it come into contact with it in the future. That doesn’t mean you can’t contract COVID-19 in the future, but it does mean that if you do, you are much less likely to become extremely ill with symptoms, become hospitalized, or die from the virus.

This activation of your immune system may cause some temporary, minor side effects, such as a slight fever, headache, aches and feeling tired. That’s ok! It means your immune system is working and gearing up for battle should it come into contact with COVID-19.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 2: If I’ve already had COVID-19, do I need to get vaccinated?

Even if you’ve had COVID-19, you should definitely get vaccinated. We’re still learning about natural immunity and how long it lasts after COVID-19 infection, but we do know that getting a vaccine after you’ve recovered from COVID-19, strengthens your immune response. We also know that the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines provide better protection than natural infection against rapidly spreading, highly contagious variants such as Delta. Finally, getting vaccinated protects our community, especially our more vulnerable members of society. Think of getting vaccinated as an act of care—it protects your grandparents, parents, neighbors and immunocompromised friends.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice  

Addressing common COVID-19 vaccine concerns with Associate Professor Nora Stelter

Concern 1: Is COVID-19 dangerous for young adults?

While young adults have a lower risk of developing severe outcomes from COVID-19, there have been thousands of young people who have required hospitalization and more than 2,400 adults between the ages 18–29 have died. Beyond getting vaccinated to protect our own health, we have a responsibility to keep our community safe and healthy. When you get vaccinated, you’re doing your part to protect those around you—it’s truly a collective effort. This is why it’s important to get vaccinated.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice

Spring Break building hours

Due to decreased traffic during Spring Break, building open hours will be adjusted to better secure the campus and improve resident safety—please note that this will not affect any “after-hours” card access.

On Saturday and Sunday (March 10, 11 and 17), almost all academic and administrative buildings will be closed. Most buildings will have open hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the week of Spring Break (March 12-16). Regular hours will resume on Sunday, March 18. View Cowles Library hours.

If you have a door access emergency during Spring Break, contact Public Safety at 515-271-2222. For general card access questions or concerns, contact Student Services Center at 515-271-2000 or studentservices@drake.edu.

—Sara Heijerman, Student Services Center

 

United Way campaign to kick off

The Continuous Improvement Plan at Drake calls upon all of us to strengthen our strategic engagement with community partners. As part of this commitment, Drake is proud to partner with United Way of Central Iowa.

Drake will kickoff its United Way campaign with an informational and social event Monday, Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. in Shivers Courside Club. All employees are encouraged to attend the event to learn more about United Way. Guest speaker Toby O’Berry from Iowa Homeless Youth Shelters and representatives from United Way will be on hand. Beverages and snacks will be provided.

2017 Campaign Goals

This year, our goal is to donate at total of $55,000 or gain participation from at least 200 employees.  If we reach our goal, all employees will receive the full-day off on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (instead of a half-day).

Each giving level also comes with generous incentives. Incentive prizes include basketball tickets, Drake merchandise (we have so much to give away), a visit to the President’s house, VIP Bucksbaum tickets, and more.

Why give to United Way?

  • 100% of the funds donated stay in Central Iowa
  • United Way financially supports 33 organizations that are Drake partners
  • In 2016, more than 6,000 people in the 50311 zip code benefited from United Way funding

How to Give

The easiest way to give is online. An email on giving will be distributed to campus on Monday, Nov. 6. For those who have contributed in the past, please consider contributing again. If you are new to the campaign, please consider contributing $5 per month. More information on giving to United Way can be found here.

For questions on the campaign, contact your campaign ambassador or Nate Reagen, at nate.reagen@drake.edu or ext. 2949.

––Nate Reagen, President’s Office

Changes to nondiscrimination statement

The nondiscrimination statement has been modified to include the contact information for inquiries regarding our non-discrimination policies. In addition, although “pregnancy” is included in the legal definition of “sex discrimination,” we added it separately for clarity. Finally, the revised statement explains that our commitment extends to all educational programs and activities as well as employment.

Nondiscrimination Statement as posted:
The principles of equal access and equal opportunity require that all interactions within the University be free from invidious discrimination. Drake University therefore prohibits discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, creed, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, or veteran status.

Recommended change:
The principles of equal access and equal opportunity require that all interactions within the University be free from invidious discrimination. Drake University therefore prohibits discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, creed, religion, age, disability, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or any characteristic protected by law in its educational programs and activities, admissions, or employment.  Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Title IX Coordinator, 208 Old Main, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311, (515) 271-2982,titleix@drake.edu or the Director, Human Resources, The Point, 1331 27th Street, Des Moines, IA 50311, (515) 271-4804, drakehr@drake.edu.

In keeping with the 14-day review policy, please send any comments regarding the changes to dupolicies@drake.edu by Nov. 13.

—Andrea McDonough, Finance & Administration