The Danger of Vaccine Myths

As of the time of this blog in August of 2021, the Delta variant of COVID-19 is tearing through Louisiana. A lot of the reason for this is a lack of vaccinations due to the prevalence of myths about the dangers of vaccines. COVID-19 vaccine mistrust piggybacks of of years of misinformation about the dangers of vaccines in general. Now more than ever it is important to trust the science and trust the vaccines to get us through this pandemic.

Myth: The vaccines will cause long term complications

Fact: As Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt, notes in this interview side effects from vaccines don't take years to manifest, taking only a few months at most in every commonly available vaccine. Even blood clotting issues that occurred in a small number of J&J recipients were found in weeks, not months or years.

Myth: The COVID-19 vaccines rewrite your DNA

Fact: mRNA is a messenger protein that never reaches the cell nucleus and has no effect on DNA.

Myth: The vaccines will be used to track recipients

Fact: No tracking chip is present in vaccines. Furthermore it would be nearly impossible to include one even if this could be done because needles used for vaccine administration are too small.

These and other vaccine myths persist, and many people act against vaccines not out of malice but out of fear and a desire for safety. Nonetheless, we must do our part to end misinformation in order to better protect ourselves and others.

While we hope you find this article and its sources useful and educational, it does not constitute medical diagnosis or advice. All medical decisions should be made after consulting a licensed medical professional.