COVID-19 and vaccines – Q&A

MG: Hello everyone, my name is Dr. Marta Gabryelska and this is my daughter Kalina.

K: Hello

MG: And today we’ll be talking about COVID and vaccinations because for last months everyone was, of course, affected by the global pandemic of COVID-19 and that includes children. And because I believe that we all need to understand what COVID is and what vaccinations mean to us and that includes children so I wanted to ask Kalina today what does she know about COVID. Kalina, so what do you know about COVID-19?

K: I know it’s similar to the common cold but in some people it’s more severe and it spreads by sneezing, coughing and touching.

MG: Okay, yeah, you’re right. The first symptoms can resemble the cold but it can sometimes, in some people, get really, really bad as they end up in hospital and they can die. That’s why it’s very important for us to prevent the spreading of COVID, which as you said is airborne, which means that it spreads between people, like, when we talk or if we touch. So what can we do to minimize this risk of giving the COVID to someone else?

K: Well, voice calls..

MG: Okay

K: Just stay at home, be alone.

MG: Stay at home, be alone. That’s a good one.

K: And talk to people over zoom, or something.

MG: Okay, but not everyone has this privilege to stay at home and some people can be really miserable. What else we can do? What can people do?

K: Stay away from people.

MG: Okay, so we do social distancing, meaning that we…the risk of spreading it is smaller. So I have this aid here, a little spray, which basically works like, when we sneeze what happens. Let’s see if it will be visible.

K: Will it be sprayed in my face?

MG: Yeah. **sprays** Did you feel it?

K: No.

MG: Okay, close your eyes. It’s just water. **sprays again** Did you feel something?

K: Yes.

MG: Okay, so what we can do? This is what happens when we sneeze. But I’m wearing a mask and I do exactly the same thing but in my mask. Do you feel it?

K: No

MG: Exactly. This is how masks work. So the whole spray that comes out from our mouth and spreads for several meters will be stopped, the majority of it will be stopped by the mask. So probably in the future or near future, especially in high school, at least in Australia, you will be required to wear a mask. How do you feel about it?

K: Uh, I don’t really know. I’ve never actually worn a mask before. So, like, not sure how it will feel, like, yeah, physically.

MG: Yeah, well it doesn’t feel…

K: I mean, it might be a little annoying to have to wear a mask.

MG: Yeah, but if we have to, we have to.

K: Yeah, I’ll have to get used to this and get into the habit of actually bringing this mask, wearing this mask.

MG: And not losing it.

K: Yeah

MG: Yeah, that’s true. Yeah, that’s important part. Don’t lose your mask. And the thing about masks and the fact that we have to wear them it’s like, do you wear seatbelts fastened in the car?

K: Yes.

MG: For your safety?

K: Yeah.

MG: Yeah. So at some point people didn’t have seatbelts and now they need to fasten the seatbelts because it is required by law. And therefore it will be required to wear masks and some kids in other countries need to wear a mask already. And it is difficult. But yeah, we will have, yeah, we will have to get used to it.

K: I hope this COVID-19 thing you get the vaccine, like, worldwide to them, like we can eradicate it like we eradicated smallpox!

MG: That would be awesome! So what do you know about COVID-19 vaccines?

K: Well, that is like the COVID-19 but, like, parts of it, yeah, so, like, simulate how the actual virus works in your body so your body can fight a lesser version to the virus so it’s like practice training like you’re fighting a dummy in sword fighting but then and then after where they’ve messed it out you actually you know sword fight someone.

MG: Yeah

K: In real life…

MG: Yeah, exactly. A vaccine is just the training for the body. Yeah, and exactly just to when then the body encounters the real virus, it will be ready. And it can quickly or quicker just kill it.

K: Yeah

MG: And what’s your feeling about the injection?

K: I hope it feels better than having it injected in…having a needle in your gums.

MG: Ah yeah, that

K: It helpfully feels not painful really.

MG: Okay

K: Like it felt before

MG: Okay, yeah, so I can tell you and I heard it from also other people that the vaccination actually for COVID is really…it didn’t hurt me at all. I was just so surprised that it actually was already in my arm. Because the needle was actually so tiny that I really didn’t feel the pain. So it was actually like, are you sure you really gave me the vaccine? So yeah, I think you will be fine. But of course, I will be with you when it happens. Do you want to be vaccinated?

K: Yeah.

MG: Why?

K: So that I can get it over and done with and I won’t be able to get infected by COVID.

MG: Yeah

K: Specially the Delta variant.

MG: Yeah, the Delta variant and maybe other variants.

K: Yeah. Hopefully there aren’t more.

MG: Yeah, so when you’re vaccinated, you protect yourself from COVID. But you also have, like, protecting others from giving it to others. And it also probably will allow us at some point to travel and visit our family

K: Yayyyy!!

MG: And it will be great. Yeah, okay. Do you have any other questions for now?

K: How do they actually make the vaccines? Like, I know, like, use parts of the dead virus, I think. So, there are other ways?

MG: There are many ways to make vaccines. And in the past that the vaccines were made either with what was a dead virus or it was a weakened virus. So the one that sort of infect but not really infected seriously. But we’ve covered the main strategy for now is to produce and give either the spike protein, which is the thing, which is on the virus, the little spikes that let the virus get in the cells.

K: Oh, I didn’t know about that. I don’t know that’s what’s what the purpose of the crown looking things are for.

MG: Yeah, so yeah, the vaccine is against the crown of the virus, the spike proteins and therefore the body can recognize it already when the virus gets in the body because this is what is circulating in the blood and this is where our protection system is also in the blood so they need to find each other easily. And this…there are many ways to produce it. And now it’s the new technology, which is mRNA technology, which allows you to give you an mRNA, which is a template for producing the spike protein.

K: Ah!

MG: So it’s not the spike protein but something that makes it in your body, which is pretty cool to me because I’m an RNA scientist so I love RNA. Yeah, and then I was very excited to actually have it in me. Yeah, but it works and all the data around the world is saying that it is safe. There are some effects that worry some people. Do you know about the effects?

K: Like blood clotting, I think?

MG: Yeah. One of the vaccines. But all the bad really effects are so rare that it is more dangerous to actually drive a car. Okay, thank you, Kalina, for this chat. I hope you will be feeling very confident to get vaccinated. And thank you everyone for watching.

K: Have a nice day. Bye!

MG: Bye!

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