Primum Non Nocere

Van Rostenberghe, Hans

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is severe and has not shown any signs of warning up to today. Biotech companies around the world have raced to come up with an acceptable vaccine and recently two mRNA vaccines have received emergency usage authorisation from regulatory bodies in several countries. mRNA vaccines, which consist of a new and revolutionary technology have not been previously tested widely on humans. Medium- and long-term safety data are not available. While many experts seem to support the start of a mass vaccination campaign, others feel there are too many unknowns to embark on a mass vaccination campaign. Concerns include uncertainties about the long-term effects of foreign mRNA on human cellular physiology and the possibility of vaccine-enhanced disease severity, which may not be unlikely with the current disease presentation of COVID-19.