Local medical expert debunks myths about the COVID-19 vaccine

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Since the inception of the COVID-19 vaccination plan in Florida, medical experts from several hospitals say they are alarmed to see how quickly misinformation about the vaccine is spreading online.

We spoke to a medical expert who was ready to debunk the top five myths she sees circulating on social media and why she says fighting them with accurate information is a priority.

“It has very serious consequences downstream (from). We’ve seen this in measles outbreaks in the past, so fighting that now for COVID-19 is even more important, ”said Rachel Guran, director of epidemology and infection prevention at Memorial Healthcare System.

The COVID-19 vaccine mythbuster, Guran, said the misinformation about the vaccine travels just as fast as COVID-19.

Myth 1: The COVID-19 vaccine will affect fertility

“This is a very serious one, especially in people in my age group, women and men in their thirties and forties, who want more children or have not had children yet. It is important to let them know that this myth is not based on any kind of science. There is nothing to suggest that what the COVID-19 vaccine consists of would have any effect on a person’s fertility, as well as on pregnant or nursing mothers. It is not a contraindication, a condition or factor that serves as a reason to withhold a particular medical treatment because of the harm it would cause the patient – for them to receive the vaccine too. There is pseudoscience related to the way the mRNA vaccine is said to work and it resembles the cell types in your uterus, but there is nothing to suggest that our bodies are not smart enough to tell the difference between the antibody response and our uterus. cells. “

Myth 2: it was developed too quickly

“There is nothing to indicate that the Food and Drug Administration has taken shortcuts, as have the Centers for Disease Control and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the advisory committee on immunization practices. They are made up of separate independent scientists and doctors and are not someone to be bought and paid for, and they are the ones who read the data and make the recommendations. “

Myth 3: I have allergies, so I can’t get the vaccine

“We have seen reports of people with severe allergic reactions having (reactions) after the COVID-19 vaccine, but so far the only contraindications, people who should not receive the vaccine, are people with a severe allergic reaction. on the ingredients found in the vaccine This is a very easy to get list of what those ingredients are otherwise if you have any past allergies to drugs or something else you can still get the vaccine there is just a precaution – you have to wait 30 minutes after the vaccine (so medical personnel) can make sure everything is okay. “

What are the ingredients in the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine?

“The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine contains the following ingredients: mRNA, lipids ((4-hydroxybutyl) azanediyl) bis (hexane-6,1-diyl) bis (2-hexyl decanoate), 2[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N, N-ditetradecylacetamide, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and cholesterol), potassium chloride, potassium phosphate monobasic, sodium chloride, sodium phosphate dibasic dihydrate and sucrose. “

(See the Pfizer Fact Sheet Given to Humans Before Getting the Vaccine)

What are the ingredients in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine?

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine contains the following ingredients: messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), lipids (SM-102, polyethylene glycol [PEG] 2000 dimyristoyl glycerol [DMG], cholesterol and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine [DSPC]), tromethamine, tromethamine hydrochloride, acetic acid, sodium acetate and sucrose. “

(See the Moderna Fact Sheet Given to Humans Before Getting the Vaccine)

Myth 4: The COVID-19 vaccine gives me COVID

“The COVID-19 vaccine is not a live virus, so it cannot give you a COVID.”

Myth 5: Now that there is a vaccine, I don’t have to wear a mask

“Until we have the vaccine on a large scale so that it is accessible and we learn how the vaccine really protects us, we have to keep masking and physically distancing ourselves. We must continue all of those things to make sure our pandemic ends. We want to get back to normal. The vaccine is the way we can get back to normal. “

What’s the last takeaway to break these myths?

“Look at reliable sources – that would be the CDC and the FDA – your doctors and pharmacists and people who are really providing that good, reliable and accurate information.”

And if you have a question, talk to your doctor and not your Facebook friend.

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