If you're looking for credible information about 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 support that.
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 get vaccinated.
Myths about the COVID-19 vaccine you should not believe
Hastily created
Typically, it takes 10 to 15 years to develop a vaccine. Compare that to the search for a COVID-19 vaccine. In less than a year, two vaccines were licensed for emergency use: one of Pfizer and another Modern.
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. work in parallel instead of taking the traditional sequential approach to vaccine development potentially cuts months off the vaccine development timeline.
It is true that vaccines were given the green light without having a full year of safety and efficacy data in hand. But only 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 that's not how it works. In short, the 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. will never affect wasu 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.
Can cause autoimmune diseases
Is not true. El RNA in vaccines de COVID-19 would not cause autoimmunity, and there is not a single report known of that happening.
In addition, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine trials included people who have autoimmune diseases, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America. However, there is no indication that these people, or others who may be susceptible to developing an autoimmune or inflammatory response, have experienced adverse effects.
The people with the suppressed immune systemPeople, such as people receiving 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, though not as much as people with healthy immune systems. Of course, always consult your doctor first.
It's all a conspiracy
Social media is riddled with lies, half-truths, and unsubstantiated claims about the virus and the vaccine.
You've probably heard that COVID-19 is a scheme put together by Microsoft founder and philanthropist, Bill Gates, and others to control the world and profit from vaccines.
There is also talk that the COVID-19 vaccine was developed to insert microchips or "nanotransducers" on individuals for tracking or information gathering purposes.
They even claim that l5G mobile networks spread COVID-19 or that vaccines were developed using fetal tissue.
May harm fertility
The COVID-19 vaccine is rumored to cause infertility in women. The disinformation campaign claims that antibodies produced against the virus's spike protein can also bind to a protein vital to form a human placenta and prevent pregnancy. In truth, no COVID vaccine has been linked to infertility or miscarriage.
Although 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.
cause 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 have 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
Just because you got the COVID vaccine doesn't mean you won't I cans carry the virus in the nasal passages and spread it.
At this time, 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 transmit the COVID virus to someone in your family who is not vaccinated.