What’s the most outlandish myth you’ve heard about COVID-19?
Hi!
I'm Dr. Seema Yasmin, I am a doctor and medical journalist at the Stanford Center for Health
Education.
I know a lot of you have questions about covid-19 because I get asked them all the time on social
media but today I am going to address a really important topic: misinformation and myths
about COVID-19.
Before I debunk some myths, I want to remind you all that there are trusted sources where
you can go to seek COVID-19 information.
You should always fact check your sources and the CDC website is a great place to do
so.
Using data from millions of people, they have the most up to date answers for your questions.
So let’s get started.
These are seven of the most common myths I hear circulating around the U.S.
#1 The origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is known.
This is absolutely false.
Many governments around the world, including our own, are working hard to figure out how
this pandemic started.
It is xenophobic to assume that one country or population of people is responsible and
there is a lot more information that needs to be found before any conclusion can be drawn.
One possible theory is that SARS-CoV-2 may have originated in bats and after mutating
(which means changing its genetic code), it began to infect humans.
However, people around the world continue to search for the answers to this question.
#2 Myth: COVID-19 is an invented pandemic resulting from misuse of 5G radiation.
5G means the fifth-generation mobile network or the enhanced mobile network providing faster
connectivity to people.
Viruses cannot travel on radio waves/mobile networks and COVID-19 is spreading in many
countries that do not have 5G mobile networks.
Part of the myth is that radio waves and electromagnetic radiation from phone towers can make people
sick.
However, there is absolutely no evidence to support these claims.
So yes, COVID-19 is a real disease that has led to the death of 4.5+ million people and
it is caused by a known coronavirus. #3 The process to make the vaccine was rushed
and the vaccine is not safe.
The COVID vaccine is very safe.
It’s the reason I chose to get the vaccine.
Not only did the CDC and FDA scrutinize vaccine safety before approving them, but they have
continued to monitor safety following the roll out of the vaccines.
And until now, we’ve only seen two kinds of adverse reactions to vaccines, AND both
incredibly rare.
The first is a severe allergic reaction – which occurs in only 2 to 5 people in a million.
Not only is it rare, it typically appears within 30 minutes of getting vaccinated, so
it can be effectively treated right away.
The second type of adverse reaction – blood clots – is also uncommon.
It occurs in about 1 out of every 400,000 Johnson and Johnson vaccine recipients, and
with the AstraZeneca vaccine, in about 1 in every 150,000 vaccine recipients.
#4 Myth: Only the elderly or those with underlying health conditions will get seriously ill and
require hospitalization for COVID-19.
While it is true that elderly people and those with underlying conditions are likely to become
very ill and die from COVID-19, people of all ages can contract and die from this disease.
Here in the US, nearly 3,000 18-29 year-olds have died from COVID, and many more have been
hospitalized with serious complications.
Compared with 18- to 29-year-olds, the rate of death is four times higher in 30- to 39-year-olds.
Also, younger people can contract COVID-19 and then spread it to vulnerable people.
Also pertinent is that long-term, being infected with COVID-19 can lead to respiratory failure,
lasting lung and heart muscle damage, nervous system problems, kidney failure or death in
all patient populations.
#5 it is better and safer to get covid than to get the vaccine
False.
Getting the vaccine is a far safer option than getting the infection.
The vaccine can protect you from getting COVID and the many long-term side effects that it
causes.
While there have been a few thousand reports of death after taking the vaccine (out of
the millions who are vaccinated), after CDC experts reviewed data from all vaccine related
deaths, they have determined that there is NO link between COVID vaccines and death.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for COVID.
As of Sept., 2021, more than 645,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the United
States.
That means that even if we count every single incidental death reported to the CDC with
regard to vaccines, you are still 1,000 times more likely to die from COVID itself.
#6 Myth: COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility or miscarriage.
No evidence supports this claim.
Experts in reproductive health-- including organizations such as American Society for
Reproductive Medicine-- have evaluated the evidence and reported that no loss of fertility
has been reported among trial participants or among the millions who have taken the vaccines.
Furthermore, studies on vaccine impact on animals have shown no signs of infertility.
Scientists and experts now recommend that pregnant women get the vaccine.
A small number of women have reported experiencing temporary menstrual changes after getting
a COVID-19 vaccine.
However, further research is needed to corroborate this.
Myth #7: Vaccines are cures for coronavirus: Vaccines are tools for prevention, not cures.
Cures are treatments that remove an illness from people completely.
The goal of vaccines is to build up your immune system and make your body aware of potential
invaders.
When you expose yourself to parts of a virus-- which is what the COVID-19 vaccine does--
it trains your body to fight and be ready if the virus attacks you in full.
Thus, if you are ever exposed to coronavirus in the future, your body already has the tools
and machinery to fight against it.
This is prevention, not cure.
Okay, so- that’s all the time we have for today.
However, a quick lightning round so I don’t leave you hanging: The mRNA vaccine will not
alter your DNA, there is no chip in the vaccine, and no-- the pandemic is not over.
It is far from it and we need billions more people to get vaccinated if we want a real
shot at slowing this thing down.
You can look more into these myths and others myths at the links below.
So Keep wearing your mask, practice social distancing, and encourage your loved ones
to get vaccines.