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Science Communicator Goes Viral After Her “Explain Like I’m 5” Explanation Of Vaccines Entices 38K People On Twitter
2020 was a challenging year for everyone, but it appears there’s a light at the end of this tunnel—news of vaccines are coming from several countries, all with the goal to put an end to the global pandemic. But before we can pull out the champagne and celebrate in the streets (remember those good times?), we have to understand what the vaccines will really do to us and what we can expect from this long-awaited victory.
First and foremost, the upcoming vaccine is not a miracle cure—there will be no magic wand that will fix the world. However, it’s a huge step forward which will help us all get back on our feet—or at least regain the world we had not so long ago. But before we jump head-first into the tricky world of pharmacy and happily skip towards the proverbial sunset, it’s a good idea to understand exactly what we’re signing up for. Luckily, the professionals are here to help!
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With A COVID-19 Vaccine On The Horizon, Debates About It Are Inevitable, Including This One That’s Going Viral Right Now
Image credits: SELF Magazine
Dr. Teagan Wall, PhD is a speaker and science communicator, as well as the writer behind some of “smarter” shows on TV (including Young Sheldon). And in her recent Twitter thread, she explained how the vaccines work and what we can expect from them (spoiler alert: there’s no instant cure).
Image credits: TeagWall
Image credits: TeagWall
Image credits: TeagWall
Turns Out, People Might Be Carrying The Virus Without Any Active Symptoms, But You Can Still Pass It On To Somebody Else
Image credits: TeagWall
Image credits: TeagWall
Image credits: TeagWall
If The Vaccine Is Ignored, The Predicted Mortality Rate In The US Will Be Close To 6m
Image credits: TeagWall
Image credits: TeagWall
Wall Says The Vaccines Are Like Gloves: It Won’t Eradicate The Virus, But It’ll Reduce The Spread By 90%
Image credits: TeagWall
On the surface level, coronavirus is similar to the flu—you might not be actively sniffling or coughing, but you can spread it to other people who are more susceptible, intentionally or not. Coronavirus gets inside the body via mucus membranes (not the most glamorous term, we know) aka nose, mouth, lungs, or eyes. With the vaccine, the spread should be halted to a degree.
Dr. Wall noted the upcoming vaccine, however useful, is not a “get out of jail free card,” so the standard means of protection still apply. It’s all a complete protective ensemble to reduce the spread of the virus and keep the active cases to a minimum.
According to her, vaccines won’t actively keep you from contracting the virus (any virus, to be fair). Instead, you will have a slim chance of still getting sick or even carrying the virus, but if everyone had that same percentage, then the chances of fatal cases would drop tremendously.
Twitter users quickly embraced the “Explain it like I’m 5” method, sharing their own thoughts about the vaccine and seeking advice or guidance on how to act or what to expect. The thread’s comment section quickly became a smorgasbord of discussion, with 38K likes and 19K tweets all surrounding the same topic: will the new vaccine return life to normal?
19K People On Twitter Jump At A Chance To Share Their Insights On The Upcoming Vaccine
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What do you think ?
Aragorn II Elessar 4 years ago
As the first comment, i have not been offended by this comments section at all. Good job, no one!
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
A 5 years old can understand this explanation. Sadly a lot of grown up people all around the world never were smart enough to graduate from kindergarten. That's way Velcro shoes are so popular.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Cute comment. However, velcro shoe closures are useful for people who are using prosthetic hands, or have crippling diseases beyond any control, and are not an indication of intellectual capacity. Just clarifying for those who think velcro on your shoes = stupidity.
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Mohammad Ammar 4 years ago
I'm not an anti-vaxer or anything but I do feel a little hesitant about getting this covid one. Pakistan can't afford large amounts of the Pfizer vacine so we'll mostly rely on the chinese one. It's probably safe but they aren't as open about the trials and reports like the western companies are. Also, I remember how during the early stages of development, scientists were stressing on the importance of the safety inspection and approval of vacines which usually takes years.Now all of a sudden they're like oh forget about that just take it. Also 2 member's of the NHS who just got the vaccine have had an allergic reaction, so now they're not offering it to people with allergies or something. I mean how could they not have known about that during all those trials?? What do you all think, Am I being a worry wart or are my concerns valid?
Ruth Mayfly 4 years ago
I can't really comment on the Chinese vaccine but I can answer some questions about general vaccination testing: It usually takes years and years to get a vaccine approved, and nearly all of that is paperwork. You have to obtain funding first and that can take ages. Then you have to get approval for the ethics of the study, get approval for everything about the design of the experiment from a variety of places, which all have queues. Then you have to get a team together, it's not like people put their lives on hold to do an experiment which might or might not happen 2 years in the future. Then you actually start recruiting volunteers to do the experiment, do the experiment (which takes a few months usually), analyse the data, then start the long approval process. It all takes years, but the actual experiment only takes a few months. Here, begging for funding was eliminated, all the paperwork was super fast-tracked and they probably had a bigger team than usual to work on analysis
Load More Replies...
Aragorn II Elessar 4 years ago
As the first comment, i have not been offended by this comments section at all. Good job, no one!
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
A 5 years old can understand this explanation. Sadly a lot of grown up people all around the world never were smart enough to graduate from kindergarten. That's way Velcro shoes are so popular.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Cute comment. However, velcro shoe closures are useful for people who are using prosthetic hands, or have crippling diseases beyond any control, and are not an indication of intellectual capacity. Just clarifying for those who think velcro on your shoes = stupidity.
Load More Replies... Mohammad Ammar 4 years ago
I'm not an anti-vaxer or anything but I do feel a little hesitant about getting this covid one. Pakistan can't afford large amounts of the Pfizer vacine so we'll mostly rely on the chinese one. It's probably safe but they aren't as open about the trials and reports like the western companies are. Also, I remember how during the early stages of development, scientists were stressing on the importance of the safety inspection and approval of vacines which usually takes years.Now all of a sudden they're like oh forget about that just take it. Also 2 member's of the NHS who just got the vaccine have had an allergic reaction, so now they're not offering it to people with allergies or something. I mean how could they not have known about that during all those trials?? What do you all think, Am I being a worry wart or are my concerns valid?
Ruth Mayfly 4 years ago
I can't really comment on the Chinese vaccine but I can answer some questions about general vaccination testing: It usually takes years and years to get a vaccine approved, and nearly all of that is paperwork. You have to obtain funding first and that can take ages. Then you have to get approval for the ethics of the study, get approval for everything about the design of the experiment from a variety of places, which all have queues. Then you have to get a team together, it's not like people put their lives on hold to do an experiment which might or might not happen 2 years in the future. Then you actually start recruiting volunteers to do the experiment, do the experiment (which takes a few months usually), analyse the data, then start the long approval process. It all takes years, but the actual experiment only takes a few months. Here, begging for funding was eliminated, all the paperwork was super fast-tracked and they probably had a bigger team than usual to work on analysis
Load More Replies...
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