6 | NEWS
Vaccination Explanation Fact-checking COVID-19 myths PARKER MILES, contributing writer
1
The vaccines can alter DNA.
NOT TRUE
COVID-19 vaccines help the body’s immune system create antibodies to fight COVID-19. A vital component of the COVID-19 vaccine is mRNA, or Messenger RNA. Dr. Thaddeus Stappenbeck, Chairman of the Department of Inflammation and Immunity at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute said, “Messenger RNA is something that’s made from DNA, but it’s not designed to integrate with our DNA, and it doesn’t permanently change our genome and who we are in any way.” The mRNA from the vaccine enters people’s cells, but the mRNA does not enter the nucleus where the DNA exists. The primary function of mRNA is to make proteins that bolster the immune system so that individuals will not catch the virus, according to Dr. Lisa Maragakis, John Hopkins senior director of infection prevention, and Dr. Gabor Kelen, director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response.
2
Vaccines for COVID-19 cannot be trusted because the development process was rushed.
NOT TRUE
While the average vaccine can take approximately 14 years to develop, the COVID-19 vaccines came to market in a matter of months. But this does not mean they are untrustworthy. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were created with a specific method that has been in development for years. Therefore, the vaccine’s record-breaking development time is not a byproduct of being “rushed,” but rather, is a culmination of mRNA research years in the making. The CDC has written and spoken extensively about the long history of mRNA vaccine research: “Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades. Interest has grown… because they can be developed in a laboratory using readily available materials… the process can be standardized… scaled up, making vaccine development faster.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, the vaccines for COVID-19 were developed quickly, but there were no shortcuts in the process. Companies put their vaccines through rigorous trials involving tens of thousands of volunteers, and early data indicates that both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are effective in mitigating COVID-19’s transmissibility and general impact, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
