COVID-19 Vaccine Facts Broken Down

The coronavirus has been a hot topic in the world for over a year now and professionals have gathered enough information and funding to develop the COVID-19 vaccine. The issue now at hand is the disagreement about whether this vaccine is or isn’t safe, along with other concerns individuals have raised. We’re here to debunk some common COVID-19 myths and provide facts so you can stay up to date.

Myth #1: With the vaccine comes severe side effects.

Fact: Studies done on the Pfizer vaccine show that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and any short-lived reactions are simply indicators that your immune system is responding to the vaccine. Experiencing minor side effects at the site of the injection is common when receiving any vaccine, so you don’t have to worry about the severe side effects that you may have heard rumors about.

Myth #2: The vaccine was developed and tested too quickly, so it’s not safe.

Fact: The worldwide impact of the pandemic warranted an emergency response which is why professionals were striving to develop the vaccine quickly. During the development process, safety protocols and proper testing were not skipped over or rushed, and your healthcare provider won’t authorize or recommend the use of a vaccine that they weren’t confident in. The safety of the vaccine has been reviewed by the FDA and various safety experts and is continuing to be closely monitored.

Myth #3: Since I’ve already had COVID-19, I don’t need to get the vaccine because I’m immune.

Fact: You may have heard that once you’ve recovered from COVID-19 you are immune and can’t contract the disease again. At this time, there isn’t enough information to say for sure if or for how long after infection you’re considered immune. Your healthcare provider will most likely recommend getting the COVID-19 vaccine once it’s available to you even if you’ve already had it.

Myth #4: Getting the vaccine could cause infertility or lead to a miscarriage.

Fact: COVID-19 vaccines have not been linked to either infertility or miscarriage. Misinformation was going around online spreading this myth, but they are not scientifically reasonable. We know this because of the studies done on women who got sick with COVID-19 while pregnant. While infected, these women’s immune systems generated the same antibodies that the COVID-19 vaccine would. If this affected fertility, we would have already seen an increase in miscarriage rates in women who had COVID-19, but that has not happened.

Myth #5: The vaccine was developed to include a microchip to control, track or gather information on individuals who are vaccinated.

Fact: After Bill Gates made comments about a digital certificate of vaccine records, this myth started flooding social media. Not only is this myth one of the most frequently talked about, but it’s also one of the strangest. There is no microchip included in the vaccine, and the technology Bill Gates was referring to is not a microchip. His comments are not tied in any way to the development or testing of COVID-19 vaccines.

Living through a global pandemic is new for all of us, so we understand how a new vaccine may sound intimidating and scary. We encourage you not to quickly believe the scary claims you’ve heard on social media and to do some research before saying no to the vaccination. If you have any questions or want to learn more about how the COVID-19 vaccine can protect you and others, feel free to contact us.