We’re Still Doing This?! Debunking Anti-Vax Myths
Over the past few months, rumors have spread like wildfire over the Internet about Covid 19 and the various vaccines to eradicate it.
And the wildest thing? The crazier they are, the more likely they are to be believed.
In 2021. With the entirety of knowledge in a device in our pockets.
It reminds me of the flat earth crowd. You can literally tweet someone living in the International Space Statio and they will SEND YOU A PHOTO OF THE EARTH and some people are like, nah. We’re good. It just feels flat.
Facebook does its best to fact-check these idiots, but they are often seen by tens of thousands of people before they can be taken down. And that helps the rumors spread even more quickly.
Welp, I decided to take the time to do a bit of science Googling and debunk the most common rumors about Covid 19 and the various vaccines that have been floating around out there. That way you’ll know the god’s honest truth before you start falling into the ant-vax camp.
The Covid 19 Vaccine Was Not Rushed Into Production
I’ll be honest: This one makes the most sense of any of the rumors out there. After all, the vaccines against Covid 19 were created in record time.
But you have to understand that that was because there was an unprecedented effort to work on them. The entire scientific community stopped what they were doing and focused on Covid 19.
You‘re studying gnat poop in the Everglades? Nope, get over here and find a vaccine. You want to know if corn can be turned into clothing? That’s nice. Now get in the lab and find a vaccine because everybody’s freaking dying.
“The safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines currently in use have been rigorously tested, and the trials did not skip any steps”, Dr Namandje Bumpus from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine told Reuters.
So no, the Covid vaccines were not rushed at all. Science just found a way.
The Covid 19 Vaccine Does Not Cause Infertility
I have no idea how this rumor started. But these poor women just trying to have a baby. They’re already taking their temperatures and eating kale and looking at mucus. They don’t need an unfounded fear in the mix.
If the Covid 19 vaccine caused infertility there would be a lot of women who would want it for that reason alone. There is no evidence at all that it has any impact on fertility rates.
In fact, during clinical trials, several women got pregnant which would seem to argue against it having any negative effects on fertility at all.
Beyond that, world governments would never approve a vaccine that had any impact on anyone’s fertility.
Thousands Of People Have Not Died From The Covid 19 Vaccine! Oh My God, You Guys!
I at least understand where this rumor started and why it had some people nervous.
The way deaths are reported to the CDC and then reported back to the public is confusing. ANd the data states that roughly 4,000 people died shortly after receiving the Covid 19 vaccine.
That seems alarming! Except that’s the total of everyone who died after getting the vaccine.
EVERYONE. That means includes people who would have died anyway, with or without the vaccine.
While it’s impossible to know how many, if any, died from an adverse reaction to the vaccine, the numbers would be much higher if the vaccine was STILL ACTIVELY KILLING SO MANY PEOPLE EVERY DAY DO WE NOT REMEMBER THAT. THAT WAS AWFUL.
The Vaccine Does Not Cause Pregnant Women To Miscarry
Again with the women and the babies! This is a rumor that comes out whenever any new drug or vaccine is on the market.
It probably is because of how scary those first few months of pregnancy are and the fact that we don’t really have a rock-solid explanation of why each and every miscarriage happens.
What we do know is the rate of miscarriages is exactly the same as it was before the vaccines were rolled out. If there was a connection the numbers would be going up instead of staying flat.
Dr. Linda Eckert, a professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Washington, said the study shows that adverse events reported by pregnant women, including miscarriage, were comparable to the public rate before the pandemic.
Being Near A Vaccinated Person Won’t Give You Covid 19. What Are You Even Talking About.
This rumor seems to be because of a misunderstanding of how vaccines work. And honestly, this one is a weird one.
People understand that the vaccine contains a small part of the virus. This teaches your immune system how to deal with the actual virus. But the virus in your body is deactivated. Therefore if you shed any remnants of it they will be deactivated as well.
“There is no sort of mechanism that would even exist that would suggest in any way (a vaccine) could be transferred… or lead to a sequence of events that would alter pregnancy or a menstrual cycle,” said Carolyn Coyne, a microbiologist, and professor of molecular genetics and biology at Duke University.
Did you catch that? She’s a professor of molecular genetics and biology at Duke University. But, you know, listed to vaxkills49 on the internet, they probably know better.
Breastfeeding While Vaccinated Will Not Kill Your Baby! WHAT THE HELL STOP IT!
It seems like just about everything you put in your body can have some effect on your baby if you are breastfeeding. But vaccines are not one of those things.
You can safely breastfeed your baby after getting the vaccine. You’ve got enough to worry about with a newborn in the house, so just cross this one off your list of weird things your aunt told you that maybe you should check out anyway.
In fact, you might end up passing along some of your protections to your baby.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which recommends that those who are breastfeeding get the COVID-19 vaccine, “There is no need to stop breastfeeding if you want to get a vaccine”
The Vaccine Will Probably Protect You From Getting The Virus
Ok. Listen up.
When you are fully vaccinated you are 95% unlikely to come down with Covid 19.
No, that’s not 100%. But nothing in medical science is 100%.
You could end up with a bad dose. Your body may be particularly susceptible to the virus. Or you may not have waited the two weeks after your second dose. But the reality is that if you have had both shots and waited two weeks you should be as safe as possible.
The Covid Vaccine Will Not Alter Your DNA
We suppose this rumor was started by people who failed biology classes in high school. Or watching a bad sci-fi movie while spectacularly high.
The vaccines are made from mRNA. They teach your body to defeat the virus. There is a difference between mRNA and DNA. The virus does nothing at all to your DNA.
DNA, which makes up our genetic code, is larger, double-stranded, and very long. The mRNA is a single-stranded copy of a small part of the DNA, which is often released to send instructions to other parts of the cell.
If You Already Caught Covid You Still Need The Vaccine
This one is a persistent rumor because it makes logical sense. But if you got the Rona you can still get the Rona. It’s not a magical forcefield. It’s a virus.
If you already had Covid 19 and fully recovered aren’t you now immune to the virus. Why would you need to get a vaccine to prevent you from getting a disease you are already immune to?
The truth is that the vaccine will prevent all variants of the virus. The Covid 19 you got will only protect you from the strain you got. Therefore you are still vulnerable to other strains. We know this because we’ve seen people come down with two different strains of the virus.
In addition, the vaccine offers months of protection against Covid 19. It is unclear how long your immunity from having contracted the disease will last.
The Bottom Line — Always Check Any Facts You Hear About Covid 19 Vaccines
If you see a scary “fact” about the Covid 19 vaccines out there it’s always good to check up on it before you believe it or spread it around.
A good place to start checking your facts is the CDC Vaccine Center. These are the people in charge of sorting through information and putting out stone-cold scientific truth.
Any information you find on their pages you can treat as gospel.
When a new myth about the Covid 19 vaccines pops up, the CDC will be quick to address it and set you straight. And if bad news does pop up about the vaccines the CDC will be the first group to share it.
We’ve just been through an awful year. Our nerves are frayed. That’s when our minds are pumped up to accept misleading information.
Please take the time to check out any and all data you read about Covid 19 and Covid 19 vaccines before you spread it forward. It’s the right thing to do.
