July 1, 2021 | There are a number of misconceptions circulating around our country about the COVID-19 vaccines. Many of them are to blame for the failure of the federal government’s plan to have 70 percent of U.S. adults receive at least one shot by the Fourth of July as well as the continuing spread of variants of the virus. And some of them are so far-fetched as to be considered humorous but are still accepted by certain members of the populace. For example, there is no truth to the rumor that being vaccinated can cause you to be magnetic. All COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt and lithium as well as any manufactured products such as microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes, and nanowire semiconductors. In addition, the typical dose for a vaccine is less than a milliliter, which is not enough to allow magnets to be attracted to your vaccination site even if the vaccine was filled with a magnetic metal.

July 1, 2021 | Everyone is talking about COVID-19 but who’s doing something to prevent it? Here are some things that will absolutely do NOTHING to prevent or cure the virus. There is no evidence that rinsing your nose with saline protects against infection from the virus. Neither will avoiding exposure to 5G networks. Viruses can’t travel on radio waves and mobile networks. The COVID-19 virus is spreading in many countries that lack 5G mobile networks. Spraying alcohol or chlorine on your body won’t kill viruses that have entered your body . These substances can harm your eyes, mouth and clothes. Hydroxychloroquine, zinc and high doses of vitamins have been shown to have no benefit in the prevention or treatment of COVID. And  don’t bother taking antibiotics as a preventive measure as they kill bacteria, not viruses. However, people hospitalized due to COVID-19 might be given antibiotics because they have developed a bacterial infection.

July 1, 2021 | Despite what you may have heard, there is absolutely no truth in the belief that receiving a COVID-19 vaccination will in any way change or interact with your hereditary material, better known as DNA. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA, which is short for deoxyribonucleic acid. There are currently two types of COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized and recommended for use in the United States, a messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccine and a viral vector vaccine. Both mRNA and viral vector COVID-19 vaccines deliver instructions, or genetic material, to our cells to start building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19. However, the material never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept. This means the genetic material in the vaccines cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. All COVID-19 vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.

July 1, 2021 | Can getting a COVID-19 vaccine make you sick with COVID-19? No, none of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines or vaccines currently in development in the United States contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19. And if you are wondering whether or not it is safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine if you plan to have a baby one day, the answer is yes. If you are trying to become pregnant now or want to get pregnant in the future, you may get a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available to you. There is currently no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination causes any problems with pregnancy, including the development of the placenta. In addition, there is no evidence that fertility problems are a side effect of any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines. Like all vaccines, scientists are studying COVID-19 vaccines carefully for side effects now and will continue to study them for many years.

July 1, 2021 | One of the biggest myths about the current COVID-19 vaccines is that researchers rushed their development, so their effectiveness and safety can’t be trusted. The fact is that studies found that the two initial vaccines are both about 95 percent effective and reported no serious or life-threatening side effects. The COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna were actually created with a method that has been in development for years, so the companies could start the vaccine development process early in the pandemic. Social media helped the companies find and engage study volunteers, and many were willing to help with COVID-19 vaccine research. Because COVID-19 is so contagious and widespread, it did not take long to see if the vaccine worked for the study volunteers who were vaccinated. So don’t listen to rumors and gossip about the vaccines, instead get you and your loved ones vaccinated whenever it becomes available.