Several social media accounts with large followings have shared the preprint of a study that claims teen boys are at greater myocarditis (heart inflammation) risk from vaccination than COVID-19 infection. The study, which is still under peer review, has been heavily criticized by physicians and public health experts who noted that it relies entirely on a search for potential myocarditis-related symptoms in unverified VAERS reports. The study’s authors flagged every VAERS report of high levels of the heart protein troponin as “myocarditis.” Cardiologists were quick to point out that equating high troponin with myocarditis is grossly inaccurate as the protein can increase in response to many regular activities, including exercise. The study also does not directly compare myocarditis following vaccination and COVID-19 infection; it compares VAERS reports that may be related to myocarditis in young men to COVID-19 hospitalization for the same age group. The study failed to correct for the baseline level of myocarditis in the age group and ignored that their risk of developing myocarditis from a COVID-19 infection is seven times higher than from COVID-19 vaccination.

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A pop star made headlines after telling her fans on social media not to be “bullied” into getting the COVID-19 vaccine and claiming that her cousin’s friend in Trinidad developed swollen testicles and became impotent after getting vaccinated. Trinidad's health minister has said that no such post-vaccination adverse events have been reported in the country. Although the singer’s claim was quickly debunked by doctors who noted that there is no evidence that the vaccine affects fertility or erectile function, the incident highlights the pervasiveness of some of the most persistent COVID-19 vaccine myths.

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Multiple social media accounts are circulating the myth that Dr. Christine Grady, wife of NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, is the head of the FDA and was responsible for approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Dr. Grady is the chief of bioethics at the NIH Clinical Center, which plays no role in the emergency use authorization or approval of any drugs or vaccines.

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Several news outlets and social media accounts have falsely claimed that ivermectin has been approved to treat COVID-19 in Japan. One video that has been viewed more than 80,000 times claims to show the chair of the Tokyo Medical Association recommending ivermectin for all COVID-19 patients. In the video, he discusses ivermectin’s apparent benefits and suggests the off-label prescription of the drug. He also acknowledges that more study of the drug is necessary. The chair and his organization are not part of Japan’s Health Ministry, which oversees drug approvals and provides official health guidance. Ivermectin is not among the drugs approved for use against COVID-19 in Japan and neither the Tokyo government nor the Japanese Health Ministry recommends the drug to treat COVID-19. The video has also been widely shared in North America without this context.

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A 2018 article about the possibility that viruses can evolve to evade vaccines is trending on social media. The article was shared online by the self-declared “inventor” of mRNA vaccines, who is a vocal opponent of COVID-19 vaccination, in a post claiming that COVID-19 vaccines are creating new variants. The post received nearly 19,000 engagements. While the article, which was published more than a year before SARS-CoV-2 was identified, argues that vaccine-driven evolution of viruses may be possible, there is no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 has evolved in this way. New COVID-19 variants develop when mutations occur during viral replication. Viruses can’t replicate outside of a host—in this case, human cells—so preventing a virus from infecting cells in the first place prevents it from reproducing and mutating.

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