If you're looking for credible information on the new COVID-19 vaccine, don't trust everything you see and hear on social media. Myths, misperceptions, and sinister explanations abound, making it difficult to separate science from science fiction.
Surely you have heard that we will be implanted with traceable microchips and 5G. Logically, there is not a shred of evidence to back that up.
The real fear for public health professionals is that this type of information will influence your beliefs about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and, ultimately, your willingness to vaccinate.
Myths about the COVID-19 vaccine you should not believe
Has been created in a hurry
Typically, it takes 10-15 years to develop a vaccine. Compare that to searching for a COVID-19 vaccine. In less than a year, two vaccines were licensed for emergency use: one from Pfizer and one from Moderna .
But infectious disease experts and virologists say you shouldn't worry about vaccines being created too quickly.
First, the scientists weren't exactly starting from scratch. In 2003, while studying another coronavirus, the one that causes SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), they identified the " spike protein " as a possible vaccine target.
Additionally, vaccine manufacturers were able to shorten the timeline by not skipping steps, but by running certain testing phases simultaneously. Working in parallel rather than taking the traditional sequential approach to vaccine development potentially cuts months off the timeline for vaccine development.
It's true that vaccines got the green light without having a full year of safety and efficacy data on hand. But only the vaccine candidates were considered safe progress for human trials.
It will alter your DNA
Regarding the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, some people think that DNA will be altered. They think they will turn us into genetically modified human beings.
But this is not how it works. In short, DNA is not the same as RNA. DNA resides in the nucleus of our cells. It is our "genetic blueprint," according to the National Human Genome Research Institute, while RNA (ribonucleic acid) is perhaps best known for its role as a messenger.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) is like a little computer code that tells our cells to make proteins. Never affect at or genetic coding; it simply trains your body to recognize the spike protein so that your immune system is prepared to mount a defense when it encounters the virus.
May cause autoimmune diseases
Is not true. E l RNA vaccines COVID-19 would not cause autoimmunity, and no knowledge of a single report of that happening.
Additionally, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine trials included people who have autoimmune diseases, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America. However, there is no evidence that these people, or others who may be susceptible to developing an autoimmune or inflammatory response, have experienced adverse effects.
People with suppressed immune systems , such as people undergoing cancer treatment or those with an autoimmune condition, should definitely get vaccinated, because they will receive at least some level of protection against COVID-19, although not as much as people with a healthy immune system. Of course, always consult your doctor first.
Everything is a conspiracy
Social media is rife with lies, half-truths, and unsubstantiated claims about the virus and the vaccine.
You've probably heard that COVID-19 is a scheme crafted by Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and others to take over the world and profit from vaccines.
There is also talk that the COVID-19 vaccine was developed to insert microchips or "nano-transducers" into people for tracking or information gathering purposes.
Even they say 5G l as mobile networks or broadcast COVID-19 vaccines were developed using fetal tissue.
May damage fertility
The COVID-19 vaccine is rumored to cause infertility in women . The misinformation campaign claims that antibodies produced against the spike protein of the virus can also bind to a vital protein to form a human placenta and prevent pregnancy. In truth, no COVID vaccine has been linked to infertility or miscarriage.
Although the vaccine trials excluded pregnant women, 23 women in Pfizer's study became pregnant, as did 13 in Moderna's, and they clearly do not cause infertility.
Causes HIV
No, it does not cause HIV. But people may have been led astray by a Facebook video in which a university professor claims that a COVID-19 vaccine trial in Australia "made everyone HIV positive."
Actually, there is a grain of truth to the rumor. Australian researchers developed an experimental vaccine using parts of an HIV protein. And it produced some false positive HIV test results.
Once the researchers understood this, they immediately canceled and stopped the trial.
After the vaccine you do not need a mask
The fact that you received the vaccine COVID not mean you can not carry the virus s nostrils and spread it .
At the moment, there is not enough evidence to know if the risk of infecting others is reduced. Even if you are vaccinated, you do not want to pass the COVID virus to someone in your family who is not vaccinated.
