Myths about the coronavirus vaccine debunked by experts

Vaccine skepticism and downright anti-vaccination sentiment have become widespread in recent months, with more members of the public questioning not only the effectiveness of vaccines, but their development practices, safety standards and their goals.

The rapid development of coronavirus vaccines over the past year, an urgent task given the devastation of lives and livelihoods caused by the global pandemic, has made them a prime target for hesitation and myth.

But disinformation and disinformation that casts doubts about safety and efficacy can endanger lives.

The World Health Organization said hesitation about vaccines was among the top 10 global health threats in 2019. Vaccination, it said, “prevents 2-3 million deaths per year, and another 1.5 million could be avoided if vaccination coverage worldwide would improve. “

When it comes to Covid-19 vaccines, experts and public health officials say it’s crucial to combat misinformation (false or inaccurate information) and the more nefarious misinformation (i.e., false information intended to mislead people) that is being spread about the injections that are currently being used. Here are some of the major myths circulating about coronavirus vaccines:

Fact: The coronavirus vaccines now in use have undergone rigorous and rigorous clinical trials after initial animal testing involving thousands of human participants.

Vaccine manufacturers have insisted that no corners were taken and the results of trials have shown that the vaccines are safe and effective. Before being approved for use, research data on the vaccines – such as those made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca – has been rigorously checked by regulators including the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency and the UK Regulatory Authority for Medicines and Healthcare Products.

In late-stage clinical studies, both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were found to be 95% and 94.1% effective in preventing severe Covid-19 infection, respectively. The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca was found to have an average efficacy of 70%.

When the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in early December, Dr June Raine, chief executive of the U.K. MHRA, said there had been no cuts in approval, saying experts had been ‘working around the clock, carefully, methodically through tables and analyzes and graphs on each individual item. ”

The scientists and clinicians at the MHRA conducted an “ongoing review” of the data as it was made available during clinical trials, which allowed it to speed up the evaluation of the vaccine and whether it approved or not. This was crucial, the MHRA said, given the public health emergency.

Fact: The coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna contain messenger RNA (or mRNA) that instructs our cells how to make a protein that elicits an immune response. This builds immunity to the virus that causes Covid-19.

The mRNA (that is, the instructions) from a Covid-19 vaccine never gets into the nucleus of the cell, where our DNA is stored, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states.

“This means that the mRNA cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, Covid-19 mRNA vaccines work in tandem with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.” In addition, immune cells break down and remove the mRNA shortly after they finish following the instructions. Read more from the CDC here.

Fact: Some women are concerned that the coronavirus vaccine could harm their fertility and a ton of misinformation has come online about this. Indeed, on Tuesday, Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Midwives issued a statement on Covid-19 vaccinations, fertility and pregnancy.

In it, Dr. Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: “We want to reassure women that there is no evidence to suggest that Covid-19 vaccines will affect fertility. Claims about any effect of Covid-19 vaccination on fertility is speculative. and is not supported by data. “

He continued, “There is no biologically plausible mechanism by which current vaccines would have any impact on female fertility. There is no evidence that vaccinated women have developed fertility problems.”

Fact: The truth is, there is limited data on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines for people who are pregnant, the CDC states on its website.

Of the available data from animal studies, “no safety concerns were identified in rats given the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy; studies of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are underway,” the CDC said.

Studies in people who are pregnant are planned, and both vaccine manufacturers are following people in the clinical trials who became pregnant, it added.

In the UK, where the AstraZeneca and Pfizer BioNTech vaccines are currently in use, the government states that: “the vaccines have not yet been tested during pregnancy, so until more information is available, pregnant women should not routinely use this vaccine. to get. . “

Nonetheless, the government notes that evidence from non-clinical studies of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines has been reviewed by WHO and regulatory authorities around the world and “raised no safety concerns” during the pregnancy.

The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, which advises the government on its vaccination strategy, “has recognized that the potential benefits of vaccination are particularly important for some pregnant women”, including those at very high risk of contracting the infection or women. with clinical conditions that put them at high risk of serious complications from Covid-19. In these cases, the government advises women to discuss possible vaccination with their doctor.

Fact: Even if you have been vaccinated against Covid-19, you may still be able to pass the virus on to others. We still don’t know how vaccination against Covid-19 affects onward transmission and until we do – and while many people remain unvaccinated – people are urged to follow social distance guidelines, wear masks and wash their hands to prevent the possible transmission of the virus. .

Fact: You cannot get Covid-19 from the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines because they do not contain live virus. Meanwhile, the University of Oxford Vaccine Knowledge Project explains that the active ingredient of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine “is made from a modified adenovirus that causes chimpanzees colds.” This virus has been modified so that it cannot cause infection. It is used to deliver the genetic code for the coronavirus spike protein. “