Trending Misinformation about Vaccines & COVID-19
- Misinformation that was circulating at the beginning of the pandemic is now resurfacing again. Tweets and Facebook posts are sharing the diagram of a supposed “nanochip” that will be implanted into each person who gets the COVID-19 vaccine. The conspiracy theory has been debunked by multiple sources, and some have pointed out that the “nanochip” diagram is actually the circuit of a guitar pedal. This theory appears to be connecting misinformation about 5G towers (which trended at the beginning of the pandemic) and more recent misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines containing tracking devices embedded via microchips.
- A microbiologist who has previously made false claims about COVID-19 has uploaded a new video claiming that mRNA vaccines will cause recipients to get more sick and die within the next year as a result of cytokine storm reactions in which the immune system will attack organs. Those featured in the video appear to have scientific credentials and also share published research, which may cause more people to believe the claims made and refuse COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA vaccines may be new, but they have been studied for decades and those that have been approved for use have met rigorous safety and effectiveness standards. mRNA vaccines do not use any kind of live virus nor interact with DNA in any way.
- Vaccine opponents are sharing a meme that uses clinical trial documents out of context to claim that people should not have unprotected sex after receiving COVID-19 because genetic manipulation from the vaccines may result in birth defects. COVID-19 vaccines have not been tested in pregnant people, but experts believe that mRNA vaccines are unlikely to pose a risk to the person or fetus.
- A story is being widely shared on social media about an emergency room nurse who tested positive for the virus six days after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. While vaccine alarmists are pointing to this as an indication that the vaccine is not effective, this occurrence isn’t unexpected by infectious disease specialists. Clinical trials have indicated that it may take up to 14 days for the first dose of the vaccine to offer protection against COVID-19. Additionally, the second dose of the vaccine is needed to obtain full protection. The nurse could also have contracted the virus before or after receiving the vaccine. Some social media users are speculating that the nurse got infected because the vaccine contained the virus. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, unlike traditional ones that inject an attenuated virus or its proteins, was based on a novel technology that uses mRNA that contains instructions on how to make the viral protein(s). This dismisses any theory of virus introduction in the body via the vaccine.
- Social media users are sharing the story of a 91-year old person who died in Switzerland five days after taking the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Some news outlets reported that the decedent had a previous negative reaction to the flu shot, a detail social media commenters are using to associate the COVID-19 vaccine and death. However, the Swiss drug regulator Swissmedic stated that the person had several underlying conditions prior to receiving the vaccine and that any connection with the vaccine is “highly unlikely”.