Vaccine Myth Busters

With news of the availability of a third approved COVID-19 vaccine,  we wanted to  take the time to address some of the most common vaccine questions and myths.

Do vaccines cause autism? 

Absolutely not.  There is no research linking vaccines with autism, and it is a topic  that has been studied extensively.  The single study that linked the two has been discredited and the doctor who published the study lost his medical license due to the dishonesty in the findings.   

Do vaccines change your DNA?

No.  One concern people have about the COVID-19 vaccines is the introduction of mRNA which provokes an immune response. There is a difference between mRNA and DNA and the two can’t combine to change a person’s genetic code.  

The COVID-19 virus will become weaker over time, so I don’t need to vaccinate myself, right? 

The only way to allow the virus to become as “weak” as the common cold is by developing herd immunity through vaccination. As the virus infects more and more people, it does mutate or change. As time goes on, we have seen variants from the UK and South Africa which are even more easily transmissible, so if anything it appears to become more easily communicable. On the other hand, if there are less people who are getting sick with it because of immunization, it has a lower chance of mutating and we can shorten this pandemic. 

Do infectious diseases only kill the weak? 

One prevalent myth we are seeing during the COVID-19 pandemic is that only people who have preexisting conditions are at risk of death or serious illness.  This is not true of COVID-19 or of any other illness (disease).  While it is true that individuals with compromised immune systems or preexisting conditions may be at a higher risk than others, anyone can become seriously ill or die from a communicable disease. 

Do vaccines contain microchips? 

No.  Vaccines do not contain microchips.  In fact, at this point in time, it is not possible to successfully administer a vaccine with a microchip into the human body.

Can a vaccine give me Covid? 

No, but they can make you feel that sick for a brief period of time.  Vaccines can provoke an immune response in the body that mimics minor symptoms of the disease, and it can leave people feeling sick from just that immune reaction. 

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This post was written by CJ Urgent Care of NJ