Dr. Jill Amsberry –a pediatrician, Dr. Becky Mueller—a sports and family medicine physician, and Dr. George Morris –sports medicine physician, conducted a Zoom call with SCTCC’s Director of Safety and Security Carol Brewer and Director of Athletics Nate Hiestand to answer students’ questions about COVID-19 and vaccines.
These medical professionals from CentraCare answered a wide array of student questions regarding the effects of COVID-19, vaccines and vaccination, and possible health effects from contracting the disease.
Students' questions regarding COVID and vaccines.
What if you get your first shot and forget to get the second shot?
Do you need to start over?
As a student athlete, is there a timeline I should follow to get the vaccine?
Like if I have a game on Wednesday, is it okay to get the shot on Tuesday or should I wait till Thursday?
Is natural immunity better than a vaccine?
What do you see in people with natural immunity plus the vaccine?
How do we know the long-term effects of the vaccine if it has not been out very long?
If I am fully vaccinated, should I get the booster even if I am not immune compromised, and I have no health concerns?
Can you get COVID twice?
If you had it before what kind of immunity does that give you particularly with the Omicron variant?
If I am fully vaccinated and still get COVID, will I have heart problems?
Can you have antibodies a year after having COVID, and how would that protect you?
If you can still get COVID while being fully vaccinated what makes having it better than not?
I want to get the Novavax vaccine when it comes out, because I am concerned about mRNA vaccines since there is little research.
Do you have any thoughts on Novavax and mRNA research?
If the virus is always evolving how will the vaccine protect me from future variants? Will we have to keep getting boosters every time there is a new mutation?
Why do people feel sick after getting the vaccine?
What’s in the current vaccines themselves?
Why are they pushing the COVID vaccine versus vaccines for other diseases?
What is the current data in St. Cloud with hospitalizations, and has there been any shift in the age of patient in the hospitals? What kind of transmission rates are you seeing from athletic programs?
I have pulmonary embolisms in my health history can getting the vaccine cause them to come back?
Will the vaccine affect my menstrual cycle?
If one is fully vaccinated, has COVID, and is asymptomatic is that more dangerous to others?
How easily is COVID spread?
I’ve been around people with it and have never gotten it.
If I already had COVID and was not very sick what are the chances of me getting severely sick the second time around?
Are people with well controlled asthma at risk for having severe reaction when contracting COVID, or does it not make a difference if it is well controlled asthma or not?
What other than the vaccines can help prevent COVID?
Does race and or gender effect the vaccines’ efficacy and side effects?