Are you worried about the adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccine? Wondering if your birth will affect you? Did you hear that it will change your DNA? There is a lot of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine, many of which can make it sound scary to sign up for an appointment. We set the record straight on the common myths of COVID-19 to help you feel better about vaccination.
Myth 1: The development of the injection was very rapid, so it is unreliable.
Yes, vaccines are made at an alarming rate. But that was a profit that could result from major government investment, including Operation Warp Speed by Trump's administration, and technological advances that had been in operation for years.
"This was one of the fastest immunizations ever undertaken but that is not the case with the shortcuts taken safely," said Eric Sachinwalla, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. "The drug companies had the support of the provincial government and therefore were able to start producing the vaccine while the clinical trials were going on, which means we should not have waited for the results of the study and waited months or years for the vaccine to be made."
The real technology in vaccines has been around for over a decade. The epidemic has pushed scientists to use it. While government subsidies help speed up the process, that doesn't mean there are missed steps. Like any other vaccine, COVID-19 drugs have been tested in clinical trials that have registered tens of thousands of people to ensure that they meet safety standards and protect people effectively.
Myth 2: The COVID-19 vaccine with side effects is dangerous.
It is natural to feel a little sceptical about adding something new to your body, but there is plenty of evidence that the vaccine is safe. "An estimated 570,000 [Americans] have died from the virus. No one has died from Pfizer or Moderna treatment. Those complications are alarming," said Paul Offit, director of the immunization centre and professor of Infectious Diseases at Philadelphia Children's Hospital.
Vaccines can cause side effects, such as fatigue, pain, and fever, but most last a day or two and are less severe or dangerous. Side effects are actually common symptoms that the vaccine is working and your body is building up defences. (Not everyone will experience side effects, and that's fine too.)
But what about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine suspended due to blood clots? During the break, of the nearly seven million people receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, six people suffer from blood clots. It's important to remember that this is a very serious side effect— "twice as common as lightning," says Doctors for America. It is also a potential problem if you are infected with COVID-19. It is expected that the provincial government will announce a decision on the J&J vaccine soon.
Myth 3: You have to pay for a vaccine.
The vaccine is free for all Americans. You will not be asked to pay anything in your pocket. However, you may be asked for your insurance card. This is because insurance companies have agreed to help cover some of the costs of administering the vaccine. That being said, most providers will not ask for your card. And if they do, and you don't have insurance, that's one hundred per cent right.
"It's not only safe, but it also's free, and it can save lives," said Meenakshi Bewtra, a physician at Penn Medicine and an assistant professor of pathology and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Myth 4: Finding a vaccine gives you COVID-19.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines. This type of vaccine brings a small amount of code to our cells and teaches them to make protein, or a piece of protein, which causes our immune system to recognize the real virus when it emerges.
"It is naturally impossible to get COVID in vaccines," Sachinwalla said. "They do not have the virus themselves."
This is especially true of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines, too, which are considered to be the virus vector vaccine. It uses the same genetic instructions as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to teach your cells how to make a "spike" protein. But it does deliver instructions for doing so using adenovirus-disabled replacement mRNA technology. Adenovirus has been modified so it cannot duplicate itself and cause infections, and it has nothing to do with coronavirus.
Myth 5: Vaccination can affect your fertility.
There is zero evidence to support that the COVID-19 vaccine can cause infertility. There is no need to test for pregnancy before vaccination, and you do not even need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination, the CDC said.
"The mRNA vaccine is new and unique, so it may sound scary, but it has not been proven to affect fertility, and in fact, COVID for pregnant women is dangerous," said Sarah Bass, professor and director of Risk Communication Laboratory at Temple University.
If you are pregnant, you are at greater risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and you may be at increased risk of side effects, such as premature birth, the CDC said. There is currently limited data on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women, but experts believe it is unlikely that they will have any particular risk to pregnant women. Pregnant women were not included in any of the three vaccination trials. But a few people who took part in the Pfizer and Moderna trials became pregnant and continued the trial without safety problems. If you are pregnant, you are eligible for all approved immunizations. You should talk to your doctor if you have any questions, but it is not necessary before vaccination.
Myth 6: The vaccine changes your DNA.
You may have seen this myth spread on social media, but it is unlikely that the principles will change your DNA. All three COVID-19 drugs work by delivering instructions (genes) to our cells to begin building protection against the coronavirus. "However, this substance never enters the cell's cell, which is where our DNA is stored," notes the CDC. This means that vaccines cannot touch or interact with our DNA in any way.
Myth 7: Vaccines do not always work, so I do not need to get them.
The COVID-19 vaccine is very effective, far exceeding the expectations of most scientists. But no vaccine offers 100 per cent protection. For this reason, it actually makes it more important for you to find those images. To control this epidemic, we need a large number of people to be protected.
"This is about installing defensive layers," Sachinwalla said. "We know and expect that there will be people being vaccinated and then infected, but if one person can be infected in a room full of vaccinated people, they will spread the virus to very small people if there was a vaccine room."
When more people are vaccinated, it becomes harder for the virus to continue to spread (and mutate). But vaccination is not just about looking at others. Vaccines greatly reduce your chances of getting COVID-19, and even if you do become infected, your chances of being protected from a serious illness that forces you to go to the hospital, or worse, kill you, "you're almost 100% good," Sachinwalla said.
Myth 8: I already have COVID-19, so I don't need a vaccine.
You are advised to be vaccinated even if you have had COVID-19. Why? Specialists need more time to study how long the natural immune system lasts. It is also possible that the vaccine may provide better protection.
"It seems that the antibody response after vaccination may be better than the immune system, but it is still being studied," Sachinwalla said. "There are also concerns about whether or not genetic influences protect different species, and we have seen through preventive medicine that there is an excellent protection, depending on the variety."
If you are being treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or plasma convalescent, you should wait 90 days before vaccination. Ask your doctor if you have any questions or are unsure about what treatment you have received.
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