For a response to this article, please view “Response to mRNA Concerns“.
Any medical procedure that involves risk is preceded by informed consent. This is where you are given a list of what could go wrong, along with the chances that you will be helped if things go as planned. You then accept the risk and go ahead, or you re-think your decision.
The two current vaccine candidates set to be distributed are mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. These work by injecting mRNA coding for parts of the virus. The mRNA is taken up by your body’s cells, and is incorporated into the cells’ protein-making machinery, which then starts producing, essentially, pieces of the enemy. The immune system then recognizes these foreign viral proteins and produces antibodies against them. Later, if the person becomes infected with the real virus, it is pre-armed with antibodies ready to go, and the person doesn’t get as sick. A brilliant idea, really. Until now, vaccines worked by either injecting weakened strains of virus, or killed or partial viruses along with adjuvants (code for toxins) to better stimulate an immune response.
Please know that no vaccine using mRNA technology has yet been brought to market. We have no experience with the long-term effects. I will present just two of many concerns.
- The cells continue making the virus parts for as long as the cells live. If the mRNA is incorporated into the cells’ DNA, then the next generation of cells will also produce the virus parts. (If reproductive cells become affected, the DNA can be passed to the person’s offspring.) The concern here is that eventually the immune system will become tolerant of the foreign proteins, because they persist for so long. Then, when a real virus enters the scene, the response is suppressed, allowing the virus to replicate unchecked while the immune system takes extra time to realize it is under attack. It may be too late by then. The current studies are too short-term to know if this will be a problem.
- Since the body’s own cells are making and putting out the foreign proteins, there is a very real concern that the immune system will make antibodies against the cells themselves. This is known as autoimmune disease. These diseases are often triggered by viral infections. If the genes end up translated into the cells’ DNA, the immune system may make antibodies against DNA, a condition known as Lupus. Other common auto-immune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis (including juvenile), psoriatic arthritis, multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, inflammatory bowel disease, type I diabetes. These diseases may not show up for several years after the vaccine. Safety studies of only a few weeks will not pick up these life-changing diseases.
A bit further behind in the pipeline is the AstraZeneca vaccine. It uses a weak common-cold virus (adenovirus) to transport the protein into the cells. A piece of the Covid-19 virus (the spike protein) was spliced onto this adenovirus. It may not have the concerns listed above, but only time will tell. We do know that during the AstraZeneca human trials, 2 subjects developed transverse myelitis, a condition that causes paralysis from the waist down. Two cases is a lot, but they were later reassured when one of these volunteers turned out to have undiagnosed multiple sclerosis. The transverse myelitis was therefore attributed to the MS.
Know also that the vaccines have not been shown to decrease transmission of the virus. So, if a person gets the vaccine and is later exposed to the virus, he will still silently spread the virus to others. Since young people do so well when they catch this virus already, it seems it is all risk and no benefit. In older age groups and people with comorbidities, perhaps the risk of getting sick from the virus justifies taking the unknown risks of a vaccine. But only for that person.
In summary, there are many potential very serious risks of these vaccines which we will not know about for years. They may paradoxically increase risk of serious coronavirus infection. They may trigger an epidemic of autoimmune disease. Does the risk from the virus outweigh these potential risks? V’nishmartem meod l’nafshoseichem isn’t a mitzvah to take every new medicine. It’s a mandate to think carefully about our actions and be sure they are truly in our best interest.
Eli Fink, MD
Cleveland Heights, OH
The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of Local Jewish News. If you have an article you’d like published, please contact info@localjewishnews.com.
Working on dan l'kaf zechus says
Dr. Fink is a respected member of our community. I’m sure he is a competent physician. Perhaps he made a mistake or was too hasty in some of the things he decided to publish. Perhaps he would like to reconsider his position? Like was stated above the nest doctor can admit “i do not know”.
Mendel Singer, PhD MPH says
I am only commenting because so many of the accurate rebuttals were without names. As pointed out, the mRNA vaccine can’t change anyone’s DNA since it can’t get enter the cell nucleus. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/hcp/mrna-vaccine-basics.html
The horrible claims in the post can’t happen. RNA is super flimsy. It’s hard enough getting it to last long enough just for cells to react. The claims presented in the post (and there are way crazier ones on the internet) are the result of misinformation from anti-vaxxers planting unfounded doubts. People who have a whole new set of arguments for every vaccine. Note that anyone with a passing acquaintance with Dr. Fink knows he is a very special person, so it pains me to write this comment about the claims he has heard and passed on. But the baseless claims presented create a two-way problem. One, there are people who automatically believe anything bad due to a profound mistrust of the entire medical system, and they will believe it. Two, people who recognize these claims have no merit may start to automatically dismiss any potential concerns that may arise. For instance, there could be rare side-effects from the vaccine, that might not show up in the 30,000-40,000 people who have gotten a 2nd dose so far. However, by the end of January, tens of millions of people will have had their 2nd dose and we’ll have the information we need long before most people even have the option to get it.
Eli – I love you, but I had to respond. Freilichen Chanukah!
Mendel Singer, PhD MPH, a professor of Public Health at Case Western Reserve U. School of Medicine
Chantal Modes says
Thank you Dr. Singer!!!
Eli Fink says
Mendel, my brother, thanks for your comments. I responded at length to Dr. Lederman but to date it has not been published. I regret raising the concern of mRNA getting translated into DNA because it has created a distraction. This vaccine is a setup for creating a plethora of autoimmune diseases REGARDLESS of whether it enters the DNA or not. All the mRNA needs to do is enter the cell and do what it is supposed to do — create viral proteins. You will need to study the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease in depth to understand this. This side point about DNA has become the focus of most of the criticism. There are plenty of unknowns about the long-term effects of these vaccines.
With much love and admiration, and wishes for good health and a freilichen Chanukah.
–Eli
Akiva Feinstein says
Dr Fink-
With all due respect, you are not helping the community to make better health decisions by sharing poorly supported conjecture on the long term effects of the various vaccines. This information does not empower anyone and just creates an increased distrust of science to a community already that has battled with taking masks, social distancing, etc seriously. I see a parallel from this posting to the fact that many community members who are not used to reaching out to true medical research, have jumped on pseudoscience “studies” about the inefficiency of masks and used this to justify their own social behaviors to not wear them.
With all of the “questions” you raise, people need to realize that increased mortality from Covid is a definite. If nothing is done, many more people will die. That is a 100%. Not just old people, but in the US, on average 20% of Covid death are for people under 65.
I am a proud participant in the Pfizer Covid-19 trial myself. I never did it because it was 100% but it is the best chance we have right now.
Please people, ignore all of the anti-vax static, and give a chance to the true experts to provide us with the guidance that we need before jumping on the various bandwagons and blinding yourself to real science and Da’as Torah. Folks, do your own research. You do not need to be a molecular biologist to see that the concerns here are not well founded.
Sorah says
While what some of what Dr. Fink wrote may be misunderstood information, and he responds to comments where he stands corrected, I am saddened by how one of the most honest and unassuming people in our community is being spoken about. Thank you to those who have responded respectfully. Please remember, debating facts and shaming another person are 2 different things. I think treating people respectfully and creating sholom will bring a refuah a lot faster then any vaccine. May j suggest we work on this as a community?
Eli Fink says
Someone pointed out the following printed in the December 2 issue of Mishpacha magazine (page 46):
“A Jerusalem Post article last week, for instance, quoted two experts on the possible long-term dangers of two new revolutionary vaccines based on genetic material produced in a lab (mRNA), which enters cells and takes over their protein-making machinery. Because the form of the vaccine is novel, we cannot know what its long-range effects will be, said one infectious disease expert, while acknowledging that the urgency of producing a vaccine justifies taking higher risks — among them autoimmune conditions [concern #2 in my post above] and the persistence of induced immunogen expression [concern # 1]. Another expert, however, felt there was little concern because mRNA molecules are very fragile and not long-lasting. But that, of course, only raises another question — that of the vaccine’s long-term efficacy.”
Community member says
This.community regularly points their finger at anyone that challenges convention. People need to feel free to express their thoughts. Be careful with this medical treatment like any other. There is money in medicine. That is what is concerning. National Institute of Health researchers were allowed to patent personally their publically funded research and personally profit. Theres an opinion based on fact. Bring another argument to Dr Fink or what ive said but allow conversation. We are meant to be a thinking nation.
Daas Torah says
Well it looks like our greatest poskim disagree with the nonsense postes here…
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/rabbis-kanievsky-and-edelstein-approve-getting-coronavirus-vaccine-652245
So who are we going to listen to? This person or Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky?
Avi says
Great article! People need to hear this. Thank you!