There are still plenty of people who are on the fence about getting the COVID-19, and all the misinformation spreading online isn’t helping them make up their minds.
Channel 9′s Megan Cruz took some of the claims you might have seen to Dr. Cindy Prins, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida.
“There are a lot of rumors floating around on the internet,” she said.
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Here’s a breakdown of some fact and fiction about COVID-19.
- Pfizer and Moderna do not use the actual virus that causes COVID-19 to trigger the immune system: FACT
Instead, they use messenger RNAs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the molecules will teach our cells to make a harmless piece of the “spike protein” found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus.
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“(It will bring) a signal to your immune system that, if you see this protein again, we want to make sure that that immune response happens very, very quickly,” Prins said.
- The process will change your DNA: FICTION
“This is not something that’s going near your DNA,” Prins said.
- Six trial participants died after trying Pfizer’s vaccine: FACT…SORT OF
Six trial participants did die, but it’s not for the reason you assume.
The FDA said of the six people, only two got the vaccine. One died of cardiac arrest about two months after getting the second dose. The other participant died three days after the first dose from arteriosclerosis, or the thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries.
Investigators found that the vaccine did not cause their deaths.
Prins said if it had caused their deaths, “that trial would have been stopped.”
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Some are mentioning the two people in the U.K. who had severe allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine. Both were treated and are fine.
“We don’t know specifically, what component could potentially be triggering that reaction in certain people,” Prins said.
On Sunday, the CDC said people with a history of anaphylactic reactions to any vaccines or other injectable therapies should talk to their doctor before getting the Pfizer vaccine.
The CDC said people with other severe reactions to food or pollen do onot have to take any special precautions and should take the vaccine.
Regardless, anyone who gets the shot will be monitored for at least 15 minutes for any sudden reactions.
Cox Media Group
