CLEVELAND, Ohio – The reality about the three coronavirus vaccines approved for use in the United States is very different than some of the narratives that proliferate online.
Clinical trials have shown that vaccines made by Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are safe and effective, but a series of false claims have surfaced on social media and other Internet forums. Health professionals and government leaders have been working to misinform misinformation that is often propagated by anti-vaccination activists.
However, the false claims threaten to derail the current mass vaccination effort.
Survey data released earlier this year indicated that nearly four out of 10 people in the United States would not register for a vaccine appointment when they were eligible. This can hinder the effort to control the pandemic, because experts suggest that at least 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve collective immunity.
Here is the truth to combat some of the most common false claims found online.
Fact # 1: Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are not “fake vaccines”.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were created with new technologies, but clinical tests have shown that the technology is safe and effective.
Traditionally, vaccines like the flu vaccine are made with weakened and inactivated forms of a virus. But the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines do not contain live viruses.
Both vaccines are made with messenger RNA, which teaches the body to make a harmless part of the spike protein found in the coronavirus, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This induces an immune response that protects against the virus that causes COVID-19.
Clinical trials have shown that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approximately 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections.
Fact # 2: Vaccines cannot provide COVID-19.
None of the three vaccines approved for use in the United States can cause coronavirus infection. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that are made with mRNA do not contain a live form of the coronavirus, so the virus is never introduced into your body.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was developed in a more traditional way, but it also cannot cause infection.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine adds the gene for a coronavirus spike protein to an adenovirus, which are common viruses that cause cold or flu-like symptoms, according to The New York Times. The modified adenovirus cannot replicate within cells or cause infection.
Fact # 3: Vaccines have not been associated with any long-term health problems.
Vaccines have been associated with short-term side effects, such as fever, fatigue and muscle pain, but there is no evidence to link them to long-term health problems.
Vaccines are new, so experts have no long-term data on their side effects. Other types of vaccines usually cause side effects within two months. Examples throughout history include the oral polio vaccine, the yellow fever vaccine and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR), according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
In fact, one of the reasons for being vaccinated is to avoid any long-term health complications from a COVID-19 infection. Coronavirus “long haulers” have reported persistent symptoms that can persist for months, from fatigue or coughing to depression and insomnia.
Other studies have also found that COVID-19 can cause long-term damage to vital organs such as the heart, lungs and kidneys. The National Kidney Foundation found that the majority of coronavirus patients who developed acute kidney injury continue to have poor kidney function after discharge.
Fact # 4: There is no evidence that vaccines cause infertility.
The CDC, the World Health Organization and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine said that women planning to become pregnant may receive a coronavirus vaccine. There is no evidence to suggest that fertility problems are a side effect of any vaccine.
“Based on current knowledge, experts believe that COVID-19 vaccines should not pose a risk to a person trying to become pregnant in the short or long term,” says the CDC guidance.
Millions of people have already received injections from Moderna and Pfizer and, by mid-January, the most recent data available, no loss of fertility had been detected.
As part of the vaccine study, Johnson & Johnson injected its vaccine into rabbits before mating and during pregnancy. No vaccine-related adverse effects on fertility or fetal development have been found, the pharmaceutical company said.
The animal studies at Moderna also showed no impact on female reproduction or fetal development, according to an information document the company submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration.
Fact # 5: Vaccines do not alter your DNA.
The false claim that vaccines can alter their DNA has been disproved by medical experts, but continues to circulate online. Experts believe that the anti-vaccination movement may be spreading misinformation to sow distrust.
The various vaccines against coronavirus cannot alter someone’s DNA. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, addressed the issue of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by noting that messenger RNA is different from DNA and cannot be combined or altered in DNA.
The weakened and inactivated form of the virus used in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine also cannot alter DNA.
Some treatments alter a person’s DNA, but for positive reasons; for example, in 2017, the FDA approved a new gene therapy aimed at correcting a defect that causes blindness. But neither the coronavirus nor its treatment can alter someone’s DNA.
Fact # 6: Vaccines do not contain microchips.
A conspiracy theory states that vaccines contain microchips and that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is using them to monitor people’s movements via 5G. The denied statement caught on social media; a Yahoo News and YouGov poll revealed that 44% of Republicans and 19% of Democrats believed it was true.
The conspiracy theory appears to have emerged from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funding for a pilot study of a device that could transmit an invisible mark that a smartphone could detect. The idea was to create a cloud-based storage system for medical records and identity documents, according to Snopes.
However, the technology was theoretical and could not track or monitor anyone. Gates did not fund any research on a COVID-19 vaccine that could track or monitor someone, according to Snopes.
Answers to your questions about the coronavirus vaccine:
Can you order a coronavirus vaccine if you have questions about the other?
Should you get the coronavirus vaccine if you have had a negative reaction to the flu vaccine?
Are you contagious if you have side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine?
Can you mix and match two doses of coronavirus vaccine from different manufacturers?
Can I still get my second dose of coronavirus vaccine if I develop symptoms of COVID-19 after the first one?
Should you get the second vaccine if you get COVID-19 after the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine?
Will your COVID-19 vaccine be less effective if you need to wait longer for the second dose?
If the coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, how will you know if it is in the other 5%?
Why do I need to keep a mask on if I have been vaccinated against the coronavirus?