Myths of the coronavirus vaccine rejected by experts

Vaccine skepticism and absolute sentiment against vaccination have spread in recent months, with more audiences questioning not only the effectiveness of vaccines, but their development practices, safety standards and their targets.

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

But misinformation and misinformation that calls into question safety and effectiveness can be life-threatening.

The World Health Organization stated that vaccination of vaccines was one of the top ten threats to global health in 2019. Vaccination, he said, “prevents 2-3 million deaths a year and 1.5 million more could be avoided if global vaccination coverage were improved. ”

When it comes to vaccines against Covid-19, experts and public health officials say it is crucial to combat misinformation (false or inaccurate information) and the spread of misinformation (i.e., false information intended to mislead the public). people) about the blows that are currently unfolding. . These are some of the main myths circulating about coronavirus vaccines:

Fact: The coronavirus vaccines that are now being rolled out have undergone strict and rigorous clinical trials with thousands of human participants after the first animal trials.

Vaccine manufacturers have insisted that no corners were cut and that test results have shown that vaccines are safe and effective. Prior to being authorized for use, data from vaccine trials, such as those conducted by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca, have been closely monitored by regulators. including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency.

In end-stage clinical trials, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were found to have 95% and 94.1% efficacy, respectively, in the prevention of severe Covid-19 infection. The vaccine developed by Oxford University 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 British MHRA, said no corners had been cut in its approval. , saying that the experts had worked “around the clock, carefully analyzing, in a methodical way, the tables, analyzes and graphs of each piece of data. ”

MHRA scientists and clinicians conducted a “continuous review” of the data as it became available during clinical trials, which allowed it to expedite its evaluation of the vaccine and whether it authorized it. This was critical, 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 produce a protein that triggers an immune response. This generates immunity against the virus that causes Covid-19.

The mRNA (i.e., instructions) of a Covid-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is stored, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This means that mRNA cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. In contrast, Covid-19 mRNA vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.” . In addition, immune cells break down and are removed from the mRNA shortly after the instructions are finished. Learn more at CDC here.

Fact: Some women are concerned that the coronavirus vaccine may impair their fertility and there has been a lot of online misinformation about it. In fact, on Tuesday, the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists of the United Kingdom and the Royal College of Midwives issued a statement on vaccines, fertility and pregnancy against Covid-19.

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

He continued: “There is no biologically plausible mechanism by which current vaccines cause any impact on women’s fertility. No evidence has been presented that vaccinated women have had fertility problems.”

Fact: The truth is that there is limited data on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines for pregnant women, according to the CDC on its website.

Of the available data from animal studies, “no safety concerns were demonstrated in rats given the Modern COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy; studies on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are ongoing,” he said. the CDC.

Studies in pregnant people were planned and the two vaccine manufacturers monitor people who have become pregnant in clinical trials, he added.

In the United Kingdom, where AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are currently being deployed, the government states that: “vaccines have not yet been tested during pregnancy, so until more information is available, those who are pregnant should not have this vaccine routinely. . “

However, the government notes that evidence from non-clinical studies of Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca University vaccines has been reviewed by WHO and regulators around the world and has not “raised any concern “about safety during pregnancy.

The UK Joint Vaccination and Vaccination Committee, 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. from getting the infection or conditions that put them at high risk for serious Covid-19 complications. In these cases, the government recommends that women discuss possible vaccination with their doctor.

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

Fact: Covid-19 cannot be obtained from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines because they do not contain live viruses. Meanwhile, the Oxford University vaccine knowledge project explains that the active ingredient in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine “is made from a modified adenovirus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. This virus has been modified so that it cannot cause an infection. It is used to supply the genetic code of the coronavirus peak protein. “