Myth of the coronavirus vaccine arrested by experts

Vaccine skepticism and total sentiment against vaccination have become widespread in recent months, with many members of the public questioning not only the effectiveness of vaccines, but also their development practices, safety standards and goals.

The rapid development of coronavirus vaccines in the last year, an urgent task, given the devastation of life and livelihoods caused by the global pandemic, has made them a prime target for hesitation and myth.

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

The World Health Organization says hesitant vaccination is among the top 10 global threats to its health in 2019. Vaccination, he said, “prevents 2-3 million deaths a year and another 1.5 million could be avoided if coverage the overall range of vaccinations would improve ”.

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

Fact: The coronavirus vaccines that are now being developed have undergone strict and rigorous clinical trials involving thousands of human participants after initial animal testing.

Vaccine manufacturers have insisted that the corners have not been cut, and the results of studies have shown that vaccines are safe and effective. Prior to licensing for use, data from vaccine studies – such as those conducted by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca University – were subject to strict scrutiny by regulators, including the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and the Agency for the Regulation of Medicinal Products and Medical Devices.

In late-stage clinical trials, both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were 95% and 94.1% effective in preventing severe Covid-19 infection, respectively. 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, executive director of the MHRA in the UK, said no corners had been cut in its approval, saying experts had worked “around the clock, carefully, methodically analyzing the tables, analyzes and graphs for each piece of data. ”

MHRA scientists and clinicians conducted a “continuous review” of the data, as it was made available during clinical trials, thus allowing them to speed up and authorize the evaluation of the vaccine. 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 on how to produce a protein that triggers an immune response. This creates immunity to the virus that causes Covid-19.

The mRNA (ie instructions) in a Covid-19 vaccine never enters the cell nucleus, where our DNA is stored, says the US 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 get rid of mRNA immediately after they finish using the instructions. Learn more at the CDC here.

Fact: Some women are worried that the coronavirus vaccine could harm their fertility, and there has been a mass of misinformation online. Indeed, on Tuesday, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Great Britain and the Royal College of Midwives issued a statement on vaccinations against Covid-19, fertility and pregnancy.

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 Covid-19 vaccines will affect fertility. The claims of any effect of Covid-19 fertility vaccination are speculative and are not supported by any data. “

He continued: “There is no plausible biological mechanism by which current vaccines could have any impact on women’s fertility. There was no evidence that women who were vaccinated had fertility problems.”

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

From available animal data, “no safety concerns have been demonstrated in rats given the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy; Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine studies are ongoing, ”the CDC said.

Pregnancy studies are planned, and both vaccine manufacturers monitor people in clinical trials who have become pregnant.

In the UK, where AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are currently being developed, 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 routine vaccine. . “

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

The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, which advises the government on its vaccination strategy, “recognized that the potential benefits of vaccination are particularly important for some pregnant women”, including those at very high risk of contracting the infection. or for those with clinical problems. conditions that present an increased risk of serious complications from Covid-19. In these cases, the government recommends that women talk to their doctor about possible vaccinations.

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

Fact: You cannot get Covid-19 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 provide the genetic code for the coronavirus spike protein. “