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Myth: Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will make you magnetic.
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FACT: There are no metals or microchips in the vaccines and they cannot make you magnetic.
- Ingredients in the vaccines are publicly available and include fats, salts, sugars and the active ingredient. They do not contain any metals or any other contents that could cause magnetism.
- Current microchips are not small enough to fit through the syringe of a vaccination needle and even if one could, it would not contain enough metal to hold a magnet through the skin.
- Watch this video from ThisIsOurShot.ca
Conclusion: Magnetic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines are scientifically impossible.
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Myth: The COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility or miscarriage.
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FACT: There is no link between COVID-19 vaccines and infertility or miscarriage.
- This myth began spreading in December 2020 when a false report began circulating that the spike protein in the mRNA vaccines and a spike protein called syncytin-1 which helps the placenta develop, are the same. Misinformation began to spread that the vaccine could trigger an immune response that would cause the body to fight off the wrong spike protein.
- Many proteins share similarities but are still completely different and distinct.
- The immune system will never confuse the Syncytin-1 spike protein in pregnancy with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in COVID-19.
- Your healthcare provider can help answer questions you may have if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
- Read more in this COVID-19 Vaccine: Preconception, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Fact Sheet (pdf)
Conclusion: There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause side effects or issues with fertility, pregnancy or the development of the placenta. |
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Myth: Pregnant and/or breastfeeding women should not receive the vaccine.
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FACT: The vaccines are safe while pregnant and/or breastfeeding.
Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccines can be safely given to those who are pregnant and/or breastfeeding. |
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Myth: Genetic material in the COVID-19 vaccines will multiply in the body forever, changing your DNA.
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FACT: The genetic material in the vaccines cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way.
- The COVID-19 vaccines work by the mRNA teaching our cells to make a protein that then triggers an immune response, which causes our immune system to produce the antibodies needed to protect us from COVID-19 infection.
- That genetic material is broken down and expelled by our bodies within a few days, it does not reproduce or replicate.
- It is impossible for genetic material included in the vaccines to alter DNA because it does not enter the cells where our DNA lives.
- Read more here: How mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Work (PDF)
- Watch this video: How Do mRNA Vaccines Work? Here’s What You Should Know
Conclusion: The mRNA does its job to instruct the cell to make protein to stimulate the immune system to make antibodies, and then it quickly breaks down — without affecting your DNA.
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Myth: The COVID-19 vaccines contain aborted fetal cells as an ingredient.
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FACT: The mRNA vaccines are not made with fetal cells.
- The vaccine ingredients are publicly available.
- Fetal cell lines are used in vaccine research because viruses need cells in which to grow.
- Fetal cell lines are not the same thing as fetal tissue.
- Fetal cell lines are cells that are grown in a laboratory.
- These cells came from elective abortions in the 1970s and 1980s and have been grown in a lab ever since, creating fetal cell lines. They do not contain any fetal tissue and are thousands of generations removed from the original fetal tissue.
- Both Pfizer and Moderna (the vaccines we have available locally) used a fetal cell line in the research phase to ensure the vaccines work.
- Neither of these vaccines used a fetal cell line in development or manufacturing of the vaccine, and they are not inside the injection you receive.
Conclusion: Fetal cells are not an ingredient in the COVID-19 vaccines and they are not inside the injection you receive. |
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Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine is not safe for children.
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FACT: The vaccine has been tested rigorously and is proven to be safe and effective for ages 6 months and older.
- Health Canada has authorized mRNA vaccines for children and adolescents from 6 months to 17 years based on the results of the clinical trials and ongoing monitoring which show the vaccines to be safe.
- In clinical trials, the vaccine was 100% effective in youth ages 12-17. No safety issues were detected in the clinical trials for ages 5-11.
- Since approval, millions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given to children and youth around the world, and safety data shows the vaccine is safe and that serious problems after vaccination are extremely rare.
- Mild vaccine side effects are common and do not last long and included things like pain at the injection site, fatigue, and headache (mild side effects are a normal sign the body is building protection).
- Fewer children have been infected with COVID-19 compared to adults, but children can still get infected, get sick and hospitalized or and transmit the virus to others even without symptoms.
- Vaccinating children helps prevent more severe illness, reduce transmission, protect the health of the broader community and get back to normal activities.
Conclusion: The vaccines are safe and effective for ages 6 months and older.
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Myth: People who are vaccinated can ‘shed’ the virus or spike proteins and infect the others with COVID-19.
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Fact: Individuals who have received the vaccine cannot shed or release any vaccine component.
- Viral shedding happens when a person is infected with a virus and then whole viral particles are released from the body (through the nose or mouth for example).
- In order to shed the SARS-CoV2 virus, you actually have to have the live virus in your body.
- None of the approved vaccines contain a live virus and therefore it would not be possible to shed it.
- People are not considered to be infected when they are vaccinated.
- Once injected, the vaccines start to do their work near the site of injection so the spike protein produced there would not be found in respiratory droplets and therefore, could not be shed.
- Once you are vaccinated both you and those around are more protected from the virus.
Conclusion: It is not possible for vaccinated individuals to shed the virus and infect others because none of the approved COVID-19 vaccines contain a live virus.
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Myth: Corners must have been cut to develop a vaccine so quickly when it usually takes years.
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FACT: The speed at which the vaccine was developed was thanks to unprecedented collaboration and years of previous research.
The vaccines were developed quickly because of:
- Global emergency partnerships and funding to support research, development, approval and monitoring happened very quickly.
- Quick adaptation of existing research into coronaviruses – scientists were not starting from scratch.
- Quick sharing of the genetic code of the virus at the beginning of the pandemic.
- Multi-tasking. Where possible, steps in the development process were done in parallel that normally would take years doing them step by step. For instance, normally, vaccine data is fully complete before sending it to Health Canada for approval. For COVID-19 vaccines, data review and analysis is happening in real-time as it comes in through the course of the clinical trials.
Conclusion: The speed of the vaccine development was not because any corners were cut in the process.
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