As COVID-19 hampered lives & economies worldwide, outbroke in early 2020, the world stranded its hope of resolving this deadly virus by preparing the right vaccine. Presently, a year later, we’ve viable vaccines & are in a position to initiate immunization.

However, in this age of social networking, anti-vaccination messages have taken flight. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has only heightened fears. WhatsApp messages or Twitter/Facebook timelines are filled with unscientific views, rumors, & fake news. People are most likely to view negative messages about coronavirus vaccines on a social network than positive ones.

In spite of all preparations & achievements, myths & misinformation about coronavirus obstructs the successful implementation of the vaccine deployment. Now let’s take a quick view at some of the concerns that individuals might have & address them in the scientific mind.

Myth 1- Vaccine trials are being hastened

Development of vaccines normally takes years before applicants are approved for use for the people. However, pharmaceuticals are speeding-up the development of the COVID-19 vaccine & maybe cutting massive corners in doing so.

However, the myth is not true. Normally, vaccine trials last between 5 to 10 years. There are a lot of reasons for this, including the readiness of trial participants along with funding. Given that coronavirus is quite contagious & transmittable, governments, health ministry, & pharmaceutical companies have been expediting vaccine development for coronavirus.

With no stones left unturned & no shortcuts being taken to produce & deliver these vaccines, public health & safety remain the primary consideration. Entirely after getting government approval, vaccines are allowed to be deployed for the masses.

Myth 2- Vaccine trials being held back means there are issues with the drug applicants

When vaccine trials are held back — for instance, the Oxford & AstraZeneca University’s coronavirus vaccine trials held back because one member was facing some neurological issues — rumor mills oftentimes go into overhead, speculating that drug applicants are dangerous for humans.

Fact: Incorrect. In every trial of the vaccine, all effects must be noted, including every adverse event as well. The primary cause analysis of every adverse effect is examined thoroughly. Pausing a trial & restarting is a safety feature to protect the trial candidates until each negative effect is investigated & addressed.

Notably, harmful events like accidental injuries or operations that are not associated or caused by the study drug should also be examined.

Myth 3- A vaccine might harmfully impact the immunity

Fact: Untrue. Vaccines are produced using a safe & small portion of an inactive or weakened pathogen-bacteria, fungi, virus, & parasites or indeed lab-made protein simulating the pathogen to avoid infection by that same bacteria or virus.

Once you’re vaccinated, you’re injected with a weaker form of a disease that misleads the immune system into thinking your body is being infected & begins to develop antibodies to fight off the disease.

Thereby, if you’re ever exposed to the real pathogen, the defense mechanism of your immune system automatically boots up to fight the infection, leading to either preventing the outbreak of a disease or minimizing its severity.

Therefore, by knowing how a vaccine functions on one’s immune system, it’s obvious that being vaccinated o’er one disease doesn’t diminish one’s immunity to combat other diseases.

Myth 4- Coronavirus vaccine will give you coronavirus

Fact: Incorrect. There is zero probability of this. Every vaccine being developed nowadays against coronavirus does not infect you with coronavirus. However, you need to consider the truth that it takes a few weeks post-vaccination for your body to develop its immunity to counter the virus.

And therefore, it’s possible that an individual might get infected right before or after taking the vaccine, so you should continue to obey safety precautions like washing hands, wearing masks, & maintaining a physical distance.

Myth 5- After getting the vaccine, it’s not necessary to wear a mask or follow physical distancing guidelines

Fact: Incorrect. The MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) has entrusted preventive measures like wearing masks & maintaining social distance till the coronavirus vaccine is administered to everyone. Moreover, it’s still not known when the vaccine-generated immunity might last, emphasizing the relevance of following coronavirus’s relevant behavior.

Myth 6- A vaccine is a key to the end of COVID-19

Fact: Untrue. While vaccines have served a crucial part in eradicating smallpox & reducing the occurrence of polio by more than 99.9 percent, success didn’t come all of a sudden. So, it’s highly presumptuous to imagine that a vaccine will totally eradicate the COVID-19 immediately.

Vaccine delivery & approbation take time, especially with newfound vaccines. Moreover, as we know that the virus has the ability to mutate, the lasting efficacy of any particular COVID-19 vaccine is unidentified. For now, people should wait, watch, & learn, even as we start to administer the first dosages of COVID-19 vaccines.

Myth 7- I do not need to get vaccinated if there is mass immunity against coronavirus

Fact: Incorrect. Mass immunity is when most people become immune to a particular disease, providing vicarious protection to those who’re not immune. There are 2 primary methods to achieve immunity — either by vaccination or by getting & recovering from the contagion.

The second method is not very advisable in the case of coronavirus as the death rate is extremely high, particularly among the weak sections like the elderly or those with impaired immune systems.

Furthermore, as the disease is very contagious, it has already overtaken the medical systems of more than a single country. Also, the virus strain has shown hints of mutation, which means there’s no surety of immunity even if you had the contagion.

Conclusion:

As the world moves towards finding the most effective coronavirus vaccines, we should not fall prey to misinformed concepts or vaccine myths. Instead, our best collective move is to have belief in science & support the researchers, scientists, clinicians, & the worldwide medical community functioning around the clock to battle against this lethal virus. Moreover, well-planned & implemented communication is a crucial component of confining the spread of rumors& myths.