As more Covid-19 vaccines begin to be made available to the public, Orthodox Christians are asking important questions regarding vaccine safety, efficacy, the differences between the various vaccine technologies and/or which vaccine they should receive.
In a document published by the Orthodox Theological Society in America (OTSA), Drs. Hermina Nedelescu, Catherine Creticos, and Gayle Woloschak provide answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Covid-19 vaccines, including how they are made and how they work to prepare the immune system to fight the virus. The goal of the document is to provide bio-medically accurate and timely information.
Vaccination against Covid-19 has become an urgent priority because vaccinating a significant portion of the population as quickly as possible will (1) save lives, (2) reduce illness, and (3) potentially help stop the spread of the virus.
The authors of this document hope that by providing accurate and up-to-date information about Covid-19 vaccines, Orthodox Christians will be able to make informed decisions regarding vaccine options for themselves.
Catherine Creticos, MD, Medical Director of clinical research at Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago and Chief of infectious diseases at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago.
Gayle Woloschak, PhD, DMin is Professor of Radiation Oncology at Northwestern University School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Religion and Science at Lutheran School of Theology Chicago.
Hermina Nedelescu, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist in the Department of Neuroscience at Scripps Research where she utilizes viruses and molecular approaches to study how environmental stimuli are represented within brain neural circuits to support motivated behaviors.
Public Orthodoxy seeks to promote conversation by providing a forum for diverse perspectives on contemporary issues related to Orthodox Christianity. The positions expressed in this essay are solely the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of the editors or the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.