Speaking at a December 21st virtual town hall hosted by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, public health experts — including ICAP’s Wafaa El-Sadr — discussed the new vaccines. The two newly approved vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna have shipped and thousands of front line health care workers in New York City and the state have received the first doses.

El-Sadr, Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine and Director of the Global Health Initiative at the Mailman School of Public Health, said mRNA vaccines do not alter the body’s DNA. “The mRNA degrades and does not enter the DNA,” she said. “And that’s reassuring because people have been concerned about the effect of causing sterility or affecting fertility or anything like this.”

Read the full story at Manhattan Times online.

Read the latest ICAP updates on COVID-19 here

A major global health organization that has been improving public health in countries around the world for over 15 years, ICAP works to transform the health of populations through innovation, science, and global collaboration. Based at Columbia University in New York City, where it is part of the Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP has projects in more than 30 countries, working side-by-side with ministries of health and local partners to confront some of the world’s toughest health challenges. Through meaningful research, tailored technical assistance, effective training and education programs, and rigorous surveillance to measure and evaluate the impact of public health interventions, ICAP aims to realize a global vision of healthy people, empowered communities, and thriving societies. Online at icap.columbia.edu