Mirror Fact Check: COVID Vaccine Claims

Disinformation has been an issue since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the beginning of 2020, ranging from claims of a medical hoax to denial regarding case numbers and death toll. The race for a vaccine to prevent further spread of the virus has been no different.

Even before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 11, many on the internet and social media have been raising various concerns about the safety and effectiveness of potential vaccine treatments. These popular claims are often not backed by data, and are potentially dangerous in dissuading Americans from taking a vaccine. Here, we will examine some of these claims and evaluate their accuracy.

CLAIM: Vaccines will be used to genetically modify patients

Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines utilize a new technology known as messenger RNA (mRNA) to activate a patient’s immune system against SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus), which is produced with synthetic genetic material. mRNA guides protein production inside of the body’s cells, and does affect the genes of the person receiving the treatment.

Mark Lynas of Cornell University told Reuters that “genetic modification would involve the deliberate insertion of foreign DNA into the nucleus of a human cell, and vaccines simply don’t do that. He warned that such claims are spread by anti-vaccination activists to deliberately cause confusion and mistrust in the vaccine.

Final Rating: FALSE

CLAIM: The efficacy rates of the vaccines are too high to be true.

The currently approved vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech and the pending Moderna vaccine both have been shown to have efficacy rates of around 95% during Phase Three trials.

A common claim circulating around the internet is that such a high rate is impossible, given that the annual influenza vaccine ranges around 40-60% efficacy. However, this is not an apt comparison.

Influenza is caused by a multitude of viruses. In any given seasonal flu, multiple viruses are circulating, which rapidly change year to year. Virologists are tasked with predicting which viruses will be the most common in the upcoming flu season, and must take into account the various unpredictable strains of influenza.

The coronavirus vaccines in development only targets one virus: SARS-CoV-2. Despite multiple strains, the mutation rate is low and the virus shows little variability, according to the University of Bologna. This makes vaccine development easier and more accurate than influenza.

Final Rating: FALSE

CLAIM: The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shown to have harmful effects

According to claims online, six out of 44,000 participants died during the final stages of the clinical trials for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Though it is true that six subjects died, there is no evidence of a relationship between the vaccine and their deaths. Four of the six deaths were given a placebo, and the other two were given the vaccine. The FDA determined that none of the deaths could be linked to the vaccine, and were in accordance with general mortality trends associated with the age groups of the deceased.

Additionally, it has been claimed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has made people who have taken it very ill. Though side effects are bound to happen, the feeling of illness after taking a vaccine is not a true illness, but simply the body revving up its immune response. The vast majority of recipients report no such feelings however.

The only proven issue with the safety of the vaccine is in those who have severe allergic reactions to other vaccines or medications. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people with such allergies do not take the vaccine, but that those who suffer from any other allergies are safe to do so.

Final Rating: MOSTLY FALSE

Other claims about the vaccines include that they cause infertility in women, contain microchips, or that the vaccine has not been adequately researched. These are all categorically false. Despite the speed of production, the vaccines currently being made available underwent standard three phase clinical trials and are being approved for safety by the FDA and organizations around the world.

Additionally, it is important to note that for most of the vaccines in development, two shots are required: a booster, and a second vaccine within 3-4 weeks of the first. Moreover, vaccines are expected to help tremendously with protection from severe disease, but masks and social distancing are still recommended until a sufficient amount of the population has been vaccinated (roughly 70-80%).