Bryan Health’s coronavirus update

A local pulmonologist discusses his experience in receiving the Pfizer vaccine.

This event was previously live-streamed and has since ended.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Bryan Health holds a remote press conference to update the community on their coronavirus efforts.

Today, Dr. Kevin Reichmuth, a pulmonologist, will discuss what it was like to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Vaccines don’t save lives, vaccinations do,” Dr. Reichmuth said.

During the press conference, Bryan Health officials took the time to discuss the vaccine and clarify some myths surrounding it.

Dr. Reichmuth had received the Pfizer vaccine Monday, to which he stated, “to me, I think it is the beginning of the end, I think it is a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel still long.”

He encourages others to get the vaccine in order to develop herd immunity against the coronavirus. In doing this, Dr. Reichmuth took the time to dispel some common myths about the COVID-19 vaccine.

“It’s kind of interesting to me… the number of people who will buy into things on social media but won’t trust trusted experts,” commented Dr. Reichmuth. “Science doesn’t lie but, social media can.”

Dr. Reichmuth clarified that the vaccine does not:

• Alter your DNA – “What happens is it [the vaccine] tells your body to make this protein… that’s the spike protein, so it does not alter the DNA whatsoever.”
• Cause infertility – “I can tell you there’s nothing about this vaccination that would make us worry about infertility. And if there was, the infection [COVID-19] would also put you at risk for infertility.”
• Have a tracker in it – “Absolutely not. I don’t know if people are just wrapped up in the fact that the shipping has a tracker so that we know where it’s going, where it’s at…”
• Make you a 5G antenna – “No metals in there [the vaccine], there is nothing in there that’s going to be 5g related, I promise.”
• Cause Bell’s Palsy – “There were four patients in the vaccination group that got Bell’s palsy [referencing the study], which is kind of weakness, paralysis of the facial nerve and none in the placebo group. Those four out of the 22,000 in the vaccination arm is not beyond the normal rate of Bell’s Palsy in a population… So, this is a matter of chance so it was not statistically significant. If we had 22,000 people go out and sing the Nebraska Fight Song on ‘O’ Street over the ensuing two months, four of them could get Bell’s Palsy and I don’t think it would be because they were singing the Nebraska fight song.”

As for special considerations, the COVID-19 vaccine is available to pregnant women. These women are encouraged to talk with their doctor and decide what is best for their health, but the vaccine is able to them.

Also, those who are immunosuppressed are especially encouraged to get the vaccine. There is no live virus in the Pfizer vaccine, so you are not at risk of contracting the virus from the vaccination.