2020 was a year of new challenges and unfamiliar experiences. Since COVID-19 is still a new concept, it’s understandable for some individuals to be hesitant about the vaccine. We’re here to ease your fears and worries, bust the common myths and provide you with the facts you’ve been looking for about the COVID-19 vaccine.
1. You should still get the vaccine even if you’ve already had COVID-19.
You may have heard that once you’ve recovered from COVID-19 you are immune and can’t contract the disease again. At this time, there isn’t enough information to say for sure if or for how long after infection you’re considered immune. Your healthcare provider will most likely recommend getting the COVID-19 vaccine once it’s available to you even if you’ve already had it.
2. Yes, the vaccine was developed quickly, but it is safe and has been tested.
The worldwide impact of the pandemic warranted an emergency response which is why professionals were striving to develop the vaccine quickly. During the development process, safety protocols and proper testing were not skipped over or rushed, and your healthcare provider won’t authorize or recommend the use of a vaccine that they weren’t confident in. The safety of the vaccine has been reviewed by the FDA and various safety experts and is continuing to be closely monitored.
3. The rumors about the vaccine including microchip tracking are 100% false.
After Bill Gates made comments about a digital certificate of vaccine records, this myth started flooding social media. Not only is this myth one of the most frequently talked about, but it’s also one of the strangest. There is no microchip included in the vaccine, and the technology Bill Gates was referring to is not a microchip. His comments are not tied in any way to the development or testing of COVID-19 vaccines.
4. You don’t have to worry about experiencing severe side effects.
Studies done on the Pfizer vaccine show that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, and any short-lived reactions are simply indicators that your immune system is responding to the vaccine. Experiencing minor side effects at the site of the injection is common when receiving any vaccine, so you don’t have to worry about the severe side effects that you may have heard rumors about.
5. Getting the vaccine isn’t linked to infertility or miscarriage in any way.
COVID-19 vaccines have not been linked to either infertility or miscarriage. Misinformation was going around online spreading this myth, but they are not scientifically reasonable. We know this because of the studies done on women who got sick with COVID-19 while pregnant. While infected, these women’s immune systems generated the same antibodies that the COVID-19 vaccine would. If this affected fertility, we would have already seen an increase in miscarriage rates in women who had COVID-19, but that has not happened.
We hope this blog provided you with some peace about the COVID-19 vaccine and helped you understand that it is, indeed, safe. As always, contact us with additional questions and we’re happy to help you.