The 6 Most Persistent Misconceptions About COVID Vaccines

While in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the race was led by science to find a safe and effective vaccine to prevent disease, today the challenge is for countries to vaccinate as many of the population as possible, given the advance of new variants.

The goal is always the same: win the battle against SARS-CoV-2 to regain the “normalcy” that the virus has swept away the planet and finally end the pandemic that has held the world in suspense since the World Health Organization (WHO) l declared in March 2020.

In the USA, Because of Delta variant very contagious, some states know the highest number of hospitalizations for coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. Those who are clearly more at risk: the unvaccinated people.

The doctor Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention (CDC) said in mid-July that More than 97% of people hospitalized for COVID-19 have not been vaccinated. Some vaccinated people have gotten sick, but serious illnesses are rare in this group, another indication that coronavirus vaccines are safe and effective.

“The vaccine efficacy is measured at three levels: the first is the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing symptomatic or asymptomatic infections; the second to prevent serious illness and the third to avoid death. Although it is true that recent data indicate that the efficacy is lower in preventing infection with the Delta variant, theThe effectiveness in preventing serious illnesses and deaths is very high ”, said the oncologist Elmer Huerta, specialist in George Washington University and former president of the American Cancer Society, on the podcast Coronavirus: reality vs fiction, for CNN.

About half of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but Doubts persist about the vaccine. About 14% of Americans say they will not get vaccinated, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. 10% say they will wait to see how the vaccines work for others, and 3% say they will only get vaccinated when needed.

There are many reasons why some may be reluctant to get the vaccine, some of which are based on false or misleading information. Recently the American newspaper UNITED STATES TODAY separate in a special edition the scientific facts of the so-called fake news circulating on vaccines against the coronavirus. Right here, six of the most persistent misconceptions floating around online.

1. Vaccines are not safe because they have grown rapidly

For that it lacks context. Scientists focused on advanced coronavirus proteins 20 years ago as they searched for a possible vaccine against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). COVID-19 vaccine research accelerated with updated technology, as good as the decision to start production at on a commercial scale before various regulatory agencies, including the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cleared vaccines for emergency use.

2. Thousands of people have died from vaccines

False. No verified deaths were reported in the Adverse Vaccine Reaction Reporting System (VAERS), a database maintained and studied by federal public health agencies. Anyone, from doctors and nurses to parents and patients, can report suspected vaccine side effects to VAERS. This wide access led to invented entrances, and the federal experts investigating reports they found no evidence of widespread deaths or serious side effects caused by the vaccines.

3. Vaccines are experimental and not fully tested

False. Coronavirus vaccines authorized for emergency use they have undergone clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people. Vacciness have also been the subject of peer-reviewed studies. All of this research has shown that Vaccines are safe and effective in preventing severe cases and death from COVID-19.

4. Natural immunity is always stronger than vaccines

Natural immunity tends to last longer than immunity acquired by vaccination, but it depends on the pathogen. The tetanus vaccine, for example, offers stronger immunity than the disease itself. Research indicates that COVID-19 vaccines provide more consistent and safer protection than getting sick.

5. Vaccines are not safe for pregnant women.

Coronavirus vaccine clinical trials did not include pregnant women, but its exclusion was not atypical. Preliminary research carried out since the tests found no safety issues associated with pregnant women receiving the vaccines, although experts say more studies are needed. Since coronavirus vaccines do not contain live viruses, They are not thought to pose a risk to a growing fetus. Pregnant women have been recommended to get the COVID-19 vaccine because they are at increased risk of serious illness.

6. Vaccines change your DNA

False. Vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that teaches the body how to create advanced coronavirus proteins, causing an immune response. Because the synthetic mRNA code is not the same as the DNA found in human cells, it cannot be combined to change someone’s genes. MRNA breaks down soon after vaccination and does not stay in the body.

Despite everything we talk about “Post-vaccine infections”, only a small proportion of people vaccinated against COVID-19 contract the virus. A small number get sick and have to go to the hospital. Even fewer die. Next, Receiving vaccines, even if it does not offer a 100% guarantee of survival, offers very important protection.

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