False claims to continue to circulate that it is better to acquire COVID-19 than to get the vaccine. This new spike in the same misinformation stems from Merck’s discontinuation of their vaccine trial because immune responses to natural infection were stronger than the response generated by their trial vaccines. Misleading claims leave out the fact that Merck discontinued trials because the immune response from their vaccines were inferior to those reported for other COVID-19 vaccines.
Recommendation:
Passive Response Read More +
Continuing to regularly promote COVID-19 vaccines and their safety and efficacy should be prioritized. FAQ’s and other informational resources should be updated to address the ongoing question among the public regarding whether natural immunity is sufficient for protection, or a good strategy for personal or community protection, and the relative risk of COVID-19 illness to individuals and those they come in contact with. Fact Checking Source(s):apnews.com, merck.com
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