This is a common response by some that do not wish to take any of the vaccines currently available. Common arguments are that materials in the vaccine cause antibody reactions, misfolded proteins, it was developed too fast, or that many unknown problems are on the horizon. "We just don't know the long-term effects", some say. This article will look at a few of the claims that have been circulating to scare people into not getting the vaccine.
The Vaccine
Firstly, it must be stated that there isn't a single vaccine. There are a number of vaccines available and about one hundred more in development. All vaccines, throughout their invention, have caused allergic reactions, disease, and death in a very small number of people. In one of the earliest forms of vaccine, diseased scabs were heated, dried, and crushed into a powder; from which, the powdered form was blown into the patient's face. For some, this boosted their immune system to actively fight a current infection, some became functionally immune to a disease, while others got sick or even died from the treatment. So, even back then, without injecting you, vaccine technology had a risk. All vaccines carry a risk. However, vaccine deaths and severe illnesses from them are less risky than getting into your car and going to work. Even though the risk is great (1.35 million people die each year from car crashes), we have viewed the risk as worth it without much thought or resistance.
The Vaccine has substances that cause antibodies to develop.
This is kind of the intention. We are purposefully priming the immune system to respond much faster to a dangerous pathogen. Of course, this isn't the issue vaccine-hesitators are addressing. The argument is that other substances in vaccines are causing adverse reactions, such as inflammation and antibody creation. This is true, but in reality, humans develop antibodies against almost every foreign object that enters their bodies, including most foods. Antibody detection doesn't equal that there is an infection or major systemic problem. Some materials can cause your immune system to become highly sensitive to that substance while others, hardly or no reaction at all. Thus, the presence of antibodies against a particular substance doesn't automatically equal that you shouldn't have that object in your body. If the body produces a serious reaction, such as dangerous levels of inflammation and fluid build-up, by all means, discontinue exposure to that substance whatever it may be, and get immediate medical attention.
People are suffering major side-effects
True: Some people are suffering from real side effects due to the vaccines. However, be very careful of your sources. There are a number of fake videos online trying to scare people into not taking any vaccines. Many that have asserted vaccine injury could not be reached so their claims could not be verified. We have to be careful about cause and effect. Just because one event follows another, it doesn't automatically equal that this one thing caused the other. People are getting strokes and heart attacks every day after eating a cheeseburger. Does this mean that the cheeseburger immediately caused a heart attack or stroke? Most likely not. To determine causality, we do more science, not less. Most of these reactions are the direct result of inflammation and will subside, however, some, are unknown and there is indeed a rush to determine why a very small amount of people are having issues with the vaccines. At current, the self-reported impacts are about 1 in a million.
mRNA vaccines cause misfolded proteins
This claim went viral due to the efforts of a Dr. Classen, M.D. who published a short article in a well-known predatory journal, Microbiology and Infectious diseases at SciHub. These kinds of journals are notorious for skipping the peer-review process(1,2). We must beware of our sources. The paper in question was set up like a research study, but it was only an opinion piece with supposed mechanisms that could cause problems. It was not based on any experimental research or data. The article also claimed that the mRNA vaccines were rushed. A decade of research is not rushed(3).
It contains Polyethylene glycol
This concern has been circulating in a number of anti-vaccine and vaccine-safe communities for a while now. A Dr. Michael Yeadon, from the UK, was a prominent Pfizer researcher. He left the field but returned some years later and began to openly criticize newer technologies that critics claim he had no hand in developing. He created a petition that made a number of claims, in particular, that polyethylene glycol (PEG) is dangerous. Seemingly because "70%" of humans develop antibodies against it. Here's the problem, there are studies showing that even though antibodies are made, that there are no negative effects in most people. Additionally, PEG is ubiquitous in many foods and skincare products(4). That said, some people may be allergic to PEGs (just as some people are allergic to nuts) so it is recommended by some groups that people with known severe allergies should only get the vaccine in facilities prepared to handle an allergic shock. To be extra safe, anyone with a known reaction to products with PEG may wish to get a different vaccine that doesn't contain PEG. Anaphylactic shock in response to PEGs is very rare.
mNeonGreen is in the vaccines!
Dr. Yeadon also alludes to the idea that a lancelet gene, called mNeonGreen has 'unknown' antigenicity. This doesn't actually make his case that it is dangerous. His mention of this has many people assuming that mNeonGreen is in the vaccine. mNeonGreen is NOT included in the mRNA vaccines. mNeonGreen is a reagent, used in "testing" to see if a target molecule has been bonded to. Yeadon is questioning this but this has been confirmed hundreds of times in the lab. Once again, no, lancelet DNA is not in the mRNA sequence within the vaccines(5). It was only used in the development phase to see if the sequences were targeted properly. Just as a number of chemicals are used to test vaccine batches for sterility, those chemicals are not actually in the vaccine.
As an aside: Yeadon and some of his associates have openly stated that the vaccines are causing infertility in men and women as well(6). There is no evidence of this.
References
1.) https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/03/31/fact-check-covid-19-vaccine-not-associated-prion-disease/7053007002/
2.) https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/can-mrna-based-covid-19-vaccines-cause-prion-disease/
3.) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1748013219301483
4.) https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/lipid-nanoparticles-in-covid-19-vaccines-the-new-mercury-to-antivaxxers/
5.) https://bioprocessintl.com/bioprocess-insider/regulations/regeneron-and-pfizer-sued-for-unauthorised-reagent-use/
6.) https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/it-was-inevitable-that-antivaxxers-would-claim-that-covid-19-vaccines-make-females-infertile/
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