Health
Debunking COVID-19 vax myths
What is and isn’t true about the coronavirus vaccine
The following information, courtesy of Johns Hopkins Medicine, the CDC, the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic Health System, can clear up some
misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines. Metro Creative Connection
COURIER LIFE, JULY 16-22, 2021 17
Vaccinating a high percentage
of individuals
against COVID-19 is a
key component of the global
strategy to diminish the effects
of the virus that fi rst appeared
in late 2019. Since the
distribution of the COVID-19
vaccines began in the United
States on December 14, 2020,
more than 294 million doses
have been administered, and
more than 135 million people,
or 41 percent of the total U.S.
population, have been fully
vaccinated, according to data
from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention released
in May 2021.
As vaccine eligibility continues
to open up and now includes
children as young as
12 for certain vaccines, public
health agencies are urging
eligible people to get vaccinated.
However, with myths
continuing to circulate, individuals
may need a little more
reassurance that vaccination
is the smart and safe choice.
The following information,
courtesy of Johns Hopkins
Medicine, the CDC, the
Cleveland Clinic and the
Mayo Clinic Health System,
can clear up some misinformation
about the COVID-19
vaccines.
Myth #1: Because
COVID-19 vaccines were
rushed, they’re not safe
and can’t be trusted.
Fact: The vaccines were
developed in record time but
not because there were shortcuts
in the process. Certain
red tape was navigated more
effi ciently than it had been
with past vaccines. Plus, the
new technology at the center
of the mRNA-based vaccines
has been in development for
more than three decades. The
vaccine developers put the
vaccines through rigorous
clinical trials involving tens
of thousands of volunteers.
Myth #2: The vaccines
affect fertility.
Fact: COVID-19 vaccines
encourage the body to create
copies of the spike protein
found on the surface of the
coronavirus and “teach” the
immune system to fi ght the
virus that has that specifi c
spike protein. There was confusion
when this spike protein
was mistakenly reported
as the same as another spike
protein that is involved in the
growth and attachment of the
placenta during pregnancy.
During the Pfi zer vaccine
tests, 23 female study volunteers
became pregnant. The
only one to suffer a pregnancy
loss had received the placebo
and not the vaccine.
Myth #3: COVID-19
vaccines will change my
DNA.
Fact: Both mRNA vaccines
and viral vector vaccine,
which is the technology for the
Janssen vaccine, deliver genetic
material to cells to start
virus protection. The material
never enters the nucleus of the
cell, which is where DNA is
stored. That means these vaccines
do not alter or interact
with DNA in any way.
Myth #4: These vaccines
have severe side effects.
Fact: Side effects to the vaccines
are short-term, mild or
moderate reactions that often
resolve without complication
or injury and include things
like headache, body aches, fatigue,
or mild fever. The Janssen/
Johnson&Johnson vaccine
has been linked to blood
clots in a very small percentage
of vaccine recipients, but
the risk was so minimal that
the vaccine was cleared for
use after a brief pause.
Myth #5: The vaccines
were made using
controversial ingredients.
Fact: The COVID-19 vaccines
were not developed using
fetal tissue, eggs, latex, or
other allergens. In addition,
they do not contain microchips
or tracking devices.
Millions of people have
been vaccinated against
COVID-19. To continue this
public health initiative, people
who may still be wary about
the vaccines can learn more
about them by speaking with
their physicians.
— Metro Creative Connection