Let’s face it, the Corona virus didn’t split us up, we were pretty fractured before it started.  The fact that health care is the latest casualty of the us vs. them, left vs. right ideology of our day is one of democracy’s biggest failures.  I would call myself a centrist, but like most centrists these days, I have moved over to the left, little “L” left, mind you.  Only because the right seems dedicated to spreading lies and misinformation with little regard to public health.

I was extremely hesitant to take the Covid vaccine.  This new fan-dangled mRNA sounded a bit too much like gene modification for my liking.  I also was worried about auto-immune implications.  So – I did what is now a very popular meme phrase – “My own research”.  It took about 2 weeks of reading and researching in early 2021 for me to realize that the mRNA vaccine was incredible, that anyone with an autoimmune or pre-existing condition shouldn’t just take it, they should run and take it.  

I just kind of assumed that everyone would be getting on the same page, reaching the same conclusion, but I forgot about the power of Fox News “opinion” and Facebook, along with other social media platforms.  They created a toxic mix of mistruths and bias that made our right leaning compatriots dawn their symbolic glasses and start to do their very own research.  It seems they have all done the exact same research, as they all spew the same lies and misinformation – this article is a deep dive into each theory and measure the soundness therein.

9 Myths about Coronavirus Vaccines (As seen live on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.)

1. The mRNA vaccine alters people’s DNA/RNA.

In the most basic terms, COVID-19 proliferates by infecting a person’s RNA resulting in sickness and potential death (more info).  An effective way to protect against this viral load is by utilizing modified messenger RNA (via mRNA vaccines) to fight the virus’ RNA machinery.  So, by introducing the messenger RNA it  protects you. Regarding DNA:

“COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way. Both mRNA and viral vector COVID-19 vaccines deliver instructions (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.”

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html

Bottom line:  mRNA vaccines don’t interfere with a person's DNA and they protect people from coronaviruses viral RNA.

2. Ivermectin can treat COVID-19 but they haven’t approved it because [insert conspiracy theory here…]

This is a very difficult theory to debunk because by the time people are treating themselves with a horse dewormer because they think their government is lying to them, well, it might be too late to help them.  A popular salve in Africa, Ivermectin is a proven infection fighter treating two common infections caused by parasitic worms and may be a potential treatment for some forms of cancer .  But it is not a proven treatment for COVID-19  and the animal version of ivermectin isn’t formulated for humans and can be quite dangerous.  

Bottom line:  Specific formulation FDA APPROVED for humans - but not to treat coronavirus.  

3. Hydroxychloroquine can treat coronavirus but they aren’t using it because [insert conspiracy theory here…]

Thanks to Donald Trump and Elon Musk, hydroxychloroquine gained traction as a cure for COVID-19.  Much like Ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine is an FDA approved drug, but only to treat a range of ailments including Arthritis and Lupus and it’s also used to prevent Malaria, but there are countless studies proving that it is not an effective treatment for COVID-19.

Bottom line:  FDA APPROVED - but not to treat coronavirus.

4. I am very healthy and have a good immune system, I can fight COVID-19.

The answer to this comes in the full name of the virus – it’s called the “novel” coronavirus – which means that it is brand new/never been seen before.  Humans have never been exposed to this virus so we have no built-in ability to fight it.  A vaccine is the easiest and safest way to build your defenses to this virus.  It’s the difference between fighting a war with seasoned troops, guys that not only know how to fight in a war, but know how to stop the war from starting vs. fighting a war with a bunch of new troops, who have never seen a battlefield, don’t know strategy and have never seen a gun let alone used one.  Your defences (your immune system) would be starting at a major disadvantage.  

Bottom Line:  It doesn’t matter how healthy you are, vaccines lighten the burden.  

5. I don’t know anyone who has died from the Coronavirus, but I know someone who knows someone who had complications from the vaccine.  

This is one of my favourite conspiracy theories, the hearsay theory.  This is almost impossible to debunk because the conspiracy theorist thinks that the truth is being covered up.  We can’t see the medical report because the doctor isn’t allowed to share it etc.  Well, doctors and hospitals don’t work like this – if they had complications, there would be a record.  Secondly, maybe it’s time we “research” the person who claims to have had significant complications from the vaccine – do they have a Go Fund Me Page?  This is where we get into the weeds because the conspiracy theorist thinks that Big Pharma is covering up vaccine complications to make lots of money, but the person who is complaining about the vaccine is also trying to make lots of money.  Regardless – the scientific method beats hearsay every time.

Bottom Line:  hearsay is akin to gossip - give us the facts and do the math.

6. Tons of people who are double-vaxxed got COVID-19 – so why bother.

Going back to point number 4 – getting COVID-19 while you have armed yourself with seasoned troops is going to offer you a much better outcome than if you arm yourself with inexperienced troops.  If you aren’t vaccinated you are 5 times more likely to go to hospital after contracting COVID-19 and 13 times more likely to die from it.  That says it all!

Bottom Line:  There’s no way to escape this virus, especially with the new Omicron variant, you need to build your defences.  

7.  People can get a heart condition from the vaccine.  

Based on a peer reviewed study in November 2021, of the people who got the Pfizer vaccine, 1.4 out of 100,000 develop myocarditis or myopericarditis within 28 days of vaccination.  That is a 0.0014% chance.  Any instances of myocarditis or myopericarditis in this group were predominantly mild, nobody died and all achieved a full recovery.  Comparatively, 1 in 3 unvaccinated people with a history of heart failure die during hospitalization from COVID-19.

The risk of getting long COVID after a COVID-19 infection is approximately 1 in 25 people or 4%. Long COVID-19 symptoms include heart palpitations, chest pain, extreme exhaustion, problems with memory, the list goes on… more info).  But if a person has comorbidities such as “obesity, cancer, diabetes, asthma or chronic lung disease, sickle cell disease, or immunosuppression” they have an increased risk for severe illness if they contract COVID-19. There’s a correlational link between children getting COVID-19 and developing diabetes. Coronavirus is a cardiovascular disease meaning it affects the heart and/or blood and touches every part of you.  Weighing these risks with the risks of long COVID-19 or death, I’ll take the .0014% chance.  

Bottom Line:  Yes - people have a higher chance of contracting myocarditis or myopericarditis, but it’s mild and temporary and very rare - much rarer than other complications you can get from COVID-19.

8. I’d rather take my chances, and if I do catch it, I’ll take the new antiviral pill.  

With the new Omicron variant, if you are not vaccinated, you have an extremely high chance of catching COVID-19 and very very low chance of living in a place that has a robust supply of the FDA approved treatment.  But, let’s assume you are crafty and manage to get a prescription for the antiviral, you may want to “do your own research” and find out what you are putting in your body.  The antiviral works much like the vaccine but only after you develop the disease – so it’s like getting your seasoned troops to come in and work with your existing newbie troops.  It’s a messier solution than the vaccine, the Merck version it works by forcing the virus to mutate itself to death – which just doesn’t seem like a great solution and the Pfizer version includes side effects such as: ​​reduced sense of taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure, and muscle aches.  These are both new to the market – therefore less tested than the vaccine.

Bottom line:  Antivirals are scarce and less proven than the vaccine.

9. The vaccine is part of some government conspiracy.

And, finally for the bonus round, why did governments globally enforce lockdowns?  Enforce vaccine mandates?  Enforce social distancing measures?  Because there’s some sort of conspiracy?  I’m not sure why global governments all decided to conspire together to create draconian rules that increase depression, devour global trade, increase inflation and global debt, but let’s assume they have a reason.  Do you really think they could pull it off?  I leave you with this segment, created by Canada’s Brittlestar:

Cover Image: https://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur