Official figures for breast cancer cases in 2022 aren’t yet available. However, there is no reason to believe that they will have almost doubled. This claim came from misinterpreting projections that were not comparable to years before 2022. The COVID-19 vaccines have been extensively studied, and there’s no reliable evidence that they increase cancer risk.
There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility or pregnancy complications. On the other hand, pregnant women are at a higher risk of stillbirth, need for ventilation, and death if they develop COVID-19. Multiple studies have shown that getting vaccinated reduces the risk of severe disease and pregnancy complications, and that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. Hence, public health authorities such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend COVID-19 vaccination in women who are or wish to be pregnant.
The COVID-19 vaccines authorized or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have been extensively tested and shown to be safe and effective against the disease. Emergency Use Authorizations allow for a faster distribution of vaccines in the context of an ongoing pandemic that poses a public health threat compared to a full approval which would require more time. As of 2023, the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines are fully approved for people aged over 12 and 18, respectively. These vaccines as well as those by other companies have received emergency use authorizations for use in other age groups or as booster shots.
COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at reducing the risk of severe disease and death. Bivalent vaccines were developed in order to counter the more contagious Omicron variant, which was first detected in November 2021. As the protection provided by vaccination wanes over time, as does naturally acquired immunity, booster doses have been recommended by various public health authorities, particularly for those at high risk of severe COVID-19, as a way to maintain protection against the virus.
At the moment, investigations are still underway to determine where SARS-CoV-2 originated and how it came to infect humans. Both the natural and lab leak hypotheses rely on circumstantial evidence that can’t prove nor disprove either theory. However, no credible evidence indicates that the virus was engineered. Based on prior disease outbreaks, the most likely hypothesis is that SARS-CoV-2 arose naturally and that zoonotic infections were the reason for the spread of the virus in humans.
There’s currently no evidence that actor Jamie Foxx has been left paralyzed and blind due to a blood clot in the brain after a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. While certain COVID-19 vaccines, notably those using viral vector technology like the AstraZeneca-Oxford and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, are associated with a slightly elevated risk of developing blood clots, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines aren’t known to do the same. Numerous studies have shown that the risk of blood clotting disorders, as well as other health problems, is much higher after getting COVID-19 than after vaccination.
Scientific evidence gathered in different laboratories around the world has established that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of COVID-19. Pregnant women are at a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 and getting COVID-19 increases the risk of pregnancy complications, including miscarriage. Studies so far have shown that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at reducing the risk of severe disease and don’t increase the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that pregnant women get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Incidental illnesses, including neurological conditions, occur regardless of vaccination. Individual case reports and data from vaccine surveillance systems are generally insufficient on their own to establish a causal link between these events and the vaccine, so further investigations are needed to determine whether a vaccine caused these events. Epidemiological studies show that neurological adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination are very rare, much rarer than after SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines outweigh this potential risk.
Safety monitoring and clinical data continue to show that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women and protect them from pregnancy complications due to COVID-19. No evidence from animal or clinical studies suggests that these vaccines cause or increase fertility problems or negative pregnancy outcomes.
All available evidence from clinical trials and safety monitoring indicates that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and not associated with a rise in medical conditions and mortality. COVID-19 vaccines are also safe and recommended for pregnant women, who are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 and pregnancy complications associated with the disease. Furthermore, COVID-19 vaccines haven’t been shown to be toxic, making so-called “detoxes” unnecessary.
