COVID-19 Myths and Facts

Myth: I was vaccinated for COVID-19, so I do not need to continue wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing or performing hand hygiene.

Fact: Wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing and performing hand hygiene are all important to continue doing. All of these measures together, along with getting vaccinated, will help decrease the spread of COVID-19 at a much faster rate than any one of them alone. Studies so far have been focusing on preventing illness, the clinical illnesses from COVID-19, but these studies have not shown how effective the vaccine is at preventing or reducing spread to those with little to no symptoms or what we call asymptomatic carriers. How this vaccine works is fantastic, but we do not really know how the vaccine affects people who are asymptomatic carriers, and these are, unfortunately, the ones who are most likely to spread the illness quicker to a higher degree of individuals. As many people have said, the vaccine is just one more tool in our toolkit for getting rid of the virus. Handwashing, wearing a mask, physical distancing and vaccinating are what is going to end this pandemic.

Myth: I already had COVID-19, so I do not need to get vaccinated.

Fact: We do not know how long immunity lasts when you actually contract COVID-19. Some studies suggest that less severe or mild cases may not cause a very robust immune response, and immunity may not last long. There are case reports of patients getting reinfected with COVID-19 as early as three months after their initial infection. We do not know if these patients are getting COVID-19 again from a different strain, or it is the same strain and their immunity decreased.

Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine changes your DNA.

Fact: This is probably one of the most common questions I get asked in the clinic. mRNA which is used to create the COVID-19 vaccine is basically just a blueprint to build a protein in the body. The mRNA will never get into where DNA is stored inside the nucleus of the cell. So number one, mRNA cannot get to that point the DNA. Plus, even if the mRNA could get to the DNA, it does not have the tools to be able to convert from mRNA to DNA nor the tools to actually be inserted into the DNA. For mRNA to change the DNA of a person is not possible.

Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine will have long-term side effects.

Fact: As of right now, there is no evidence to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccine has any long-term side effects. There are ongoing studies to monitor for any possible long-term side effects, but there have not been any that have become known as of yet. We do know there are long-term side effects from getting COVID-19, including chronic fatigue, chronic breathing issues, etc. The COVID-19 vaccine is going to be monitored closely for quite some time to look for any types of long-term side effects. Again, as of right now, there is no evidence to support this claim.