Vaccine - Portal Check

DEBUNKED: The 10 most common concerns and mis/disinformation claims linked to COVID-19 vaccines

1 – Do vaccines cause infertility?

This is a widespread concern or mis/disinformation cliams regarding COVID-19 vaccines, although there is no evidence to support it. Clinical trial have shown that coronavirus vaccines have no effect on infertility in men or women, and that some women have become pregnant while taking the vaccines. A vaccine that is suspected of affecting the ability to conceive would not be approved by the World Health Organization.

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2 – Do vaccines modify our DNA?

This is a common concern or mis/disinformation claim about messenger RNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna, however, it has been fact-checked that these vaccines do not modify our DNA. Messenger RNA functions as an instruction manual for our cells, allowing them to read and interpret it in order to produce the viral proteins that our bodies require to activate the immune system and defend against coronavirus. Messenger RNA cannot be transferred to DNA or used to change human cells in any way.

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3 – Is it true that vaccines cause deaths

Vaccines save millions of lives every year. They can cause adverse effects, but they are mostly mild. The coronavirus vaccines were thoroughly evaluated for their safety and efficacy before being approved. A few cases of older people who died after being vaccinated against COVID-19 were reported, but that does not mean they died FROM being vaccinated. In fact, these cases were investigated and it was concluded that the deaths were not caused by the vaccine.

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4 – Do vaccines contain metals or make a person magnetized?

There are a lot of videos out there where people show that metal or magnets are allegedly stuck on their bodies after being vaccinated. It is possible for objects to stick to our body, due to friction between an object and the skin, or due to surface tension, but it has nothing to do with vaccines. Metals that could produce a magnetic attraction in the body are not present in the vaccines.

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5 – Do vaccines contain cells from aborted fetuses?

It is a common concern or mis/disinformation claims circulating about vaccines even before COVID-19. But no, aborted fetuses’ cells are not present in vaccinations. Cell lines are cells developed in the laboratory that are a replica of a photocopy of an original cell taken in the 1960s. They are utilized in research and vaccine development. The vaccines we receive include no human cells or tissues.

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6 – It is true that vaccines do not work and that it would be better to achieve natural immunity?

There are people who argue that it would be better to become infected and thereby develop immunity to the virus. This first indicates that we become ill, with the knowledge that it may be fatal in some situations. However, we have no way of knowing how many protections our bodies produce after a disease or how long they endure. According to scientists, vaccine-induced immunity is far more powerful, robust, and long-lasting than infection-induced immunity.

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7 – Are vaccines to blame for the development of new variants?

Many people connected the two events as the vaccination process progressed and new strains of the virus emerged. Vaccines, on the other hand, have nothing to do with the emergence of new variations. It has been fact-checked, that as more people are vaccinated around the world and the virus spreads less, we will all be better protected against new variations.

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8 – Do vaccines contain microchips?

This concern or mis/disinformation claim derives in part from a statement made by Bill Gates, who stated that a system for tracking vaccines would be beneficial. However, it has been fact-checked and no technology, such as microchips or any other type, is implanted inside people. The vaccines are safe and include no microchips.

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9 – Are they dangerous because they were produced so quickly?

Many people have expressed concern or mis/disinformations claims that because they were produced so rapidly, they did not go through all of the essential testing and study processes to ensure their safety. However, it has been fact-checked that the rapidity of advancement is due, among other things, to the application of previously successful approaches, the amount of funds available, and international collaboration among scientists. The trial and control steps were followed in all cases to ensure the vaccine’s safety, quality, and efficacy. Once approved, it continues to be monitored on how effective the vaccination works.

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10 – Is it true that if you have no adverse effects after getting vaccinated, the vaccine isn’t working?

The absence of adverse effects like fever or arm soreness does not indicate that the vaccine is less effective. Nobody knows why some people experience a lot of side effects while others have none. What we do know is that young people’s immune systems respond to vaccines better than elderly people’s, whose immune systems deteriorate as they age.

Learn more and read this article

Watch our launch event
Vaccine disinformation resource center, PortalCheck TV and podcast

Watch the presentation of the Vaccine Resource Center, the PortalCheck TV series and podcast, and a panel discussion on best practices and challenges of combating COVID-19 disinformation, alongside diverse actors in this process, including digital influencers, journalists and fact-checking organizations. We will also address the importance of leaving no one behind, and how to strengthen access to information in indigenous populations.

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