HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Several Alabama health experts continue to educate the Tennessee Valley on vaccine confidence.
Tonight experts with UAB and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology addressed questions about the time it took to issue the vaccine and unknowns.
"There were a number of studies that were already ongoing around coronaviruses. SARS and MERS were already in some ways defined, and the infectious component of the coronavirus was pretty much well understood before COVID-19 started," says UAB Senior VP of Medicine & Dean, Dr. Selwyn Vickers.
Doctors say it's important to focus more on what we do know, rather than what we don't know. "We know number one, that from all of the studies that we've seen, that is well over 140 million people given the vaccine, very few have had any significant side effects or had any significant major complications," says Vickers.
This is their third time hosting this virtual series.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a plethora of information on how to protect yourself and other from the coronavirus.
The virus can easily spread from person to person, so the CDC recommends you stay at least 6-feet apart from people not in your household. The virus is spread through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breaths or talks, according to the CDC. Because of this, the CDC recommends you wear a cloth facemask when around others and in public.
Additionally, the CDC recommends that you frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Symptoms to look out for include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, a sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.
Click here to find more COVID-19 information from the CDC.
If you suspect you have the coronavirus, you should seek out testing and self-quarantine.
Click here to find more COVID-19 information from the Alabama Department of Public Health.