The COVID-19 vaccines, their safety and efficacy, and the processes by which they were developed and approved were the topics on a recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Dr. Anthony Farone

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. Anthony Farone, a professor of biology specializing in immunology and microbiology, first aired Dec. 22 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org.

You can listen to their conversation at the Soundcloud link above.

Public health experts say they hope at least 70 percent of Americans will get one of the approved vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency approvals for both, and they’re already being administered to health care workers and public officials and distributed to county health departments and other providers.

Priority for receiving the vaccines goes to people in high-risk categories, including health care workers, nursing home residents, teachers, food service workers and first responders.

Farone warns that people still must remain vigilant about handwashing, social distancing and other COVID-19 protocols even after they get their shots.

“You may not get sick, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still be an amplifier of the virus,” Farone said. “Even though you might not be infected for as long because you’ve been vaccinated, your immune response is not the same as a mask.

“It still allows the virus to get in. It has to be recognized, and during that recognition phase, you’re still spreading the virus to other people.”

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.