Search Results for coronavirus

Misleading claims linking the spread of Omicron variant to vaccinated people rely on partial data and are unsubstantiated

The new Omicron variant identified in Botswana and South Africa contains more mutations than any previous variant. However, the circumstances that led this variant to accumulate so many mutations and their effect on contagiousness, vaccine effectiveness, and disease severity remain unknown. Researchers worldwide are trying to answer these questions to evaluate how much of a threat the new variant actually poses.

Pathogens can evolve to be more virulent over time, contrary to nutritionist’s claim

Virulence is broadly defined as the ability of a disease-causing microorganism (pathogen) to damage a host. Pathogens don’t always evolve to become less dangerous. There are instances where pathogens retain their virulence over time, or even become more virulent. Predicting the evolutionary path of a pathogen is complex and depends not only on its lethality and transmissibility, but also other factors, such as its incubation period and the level of preexisting immunity in a population.

No evidence that the low COVID-19 case rate in Sweden is due to herd immunity; vaccines don’t lead to new variants of SARS-CoV-2

Although Sweden started its COVID-19 vaccination campaign later than other countries, as of November 2021, its vaccine coverage is similar to that of the U.S. and the U.K. There is no evidence that the low number of COVID-19 cases in Sweden is due to herd immunity rather than vaccination, which scientific evidence has shown to reduce COVID-19 transmission. There is no evidence supporting the claim that COVID-19 vaccines lead to more dangerous variants. The evidence from clinical trials and the monitoring of vaccination campaigns show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.

Natural News, others jump to conclusions unsupported by the study they cite to claim COVID-19 vaccines destroy the immune system and cause cancer

A study published in October 2021 examined how high levels of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could affect the process of DNA damage repair in cells growing in the lab. Because the mechanism for DNA damage repair is involved in the production of antibodies, some claimed that the study showed spike protein in the COVID-19 vaccines could damage the immune system and lead to cancer. However, these claims are unfounded, as they fail to account for the fact that the study was conducted in vitro, not in people. While in vitro research provides a valuable foundation for scientific exploration, more research is needed to determine if the results from the experiment accurately reflect what happens in infected or vaccinated persons.

Claim that the COVID-19 vaccine is riskier than the disease for children is based on an economist’s incorrect calculation of the metric “number needed to vaccinate”

The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that children get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they’re eligible. While children do face a lower risk of illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 compared to adults, overall these risks still exceed the risks posed by the COVID-19 vaccine. The scientific evidence indicates that it is safer for children to get vaccinated than to get COVID-19.

Contrary to claim in Becker News article, not all cases of infection lead to immunity; falsely claims that most COVID-19 deaths weren’t caused by COVID-19 but by comorbidities

Previous infection can provide some protection from future infection. However, this protection isn’t consistent due to several factors, such as waning immunity and virus variants. COVID-19 deaths are caused by COVID-19, even if a person had comorbidities. Vaccine-induced immunity is highly effective against severe disease and hospitalization, and is safer than infection-induced immunity.

Claim that French study showed long COVID doesn’t exist misinterprets the study and fails to account for its limitations

Persistent symptoms of illness despite recovery from an initial infection have been documented by scientists following various bacterial and viral infections, such as in the case of myalgic encephalitis (ME), more commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome. Long COVID, which bears some similarities to ME, is a poorly understood condition in which COVID-19 survivors continue to experience symptoms of illness weeks to months after recovering from the initial infection. These symptoms include fatigue, difficulty breathing, and difficulty thinking clearly, and can significantly impact a person’s quality of life.

Tromethamine in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children acts to improve the stability of the vaccine; it isn’t in the vaccine as a heart medication

In October 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. The vaccine is adapted for children and contains one-third of the dosage approved for adults. Furthermore, the vaccine for children comes in a slightly different solution that contains tromethamine. This new formulation improves vaccine stability and ease of storage, as the vaccine can be kept in the fridge for longer periods of time compared to the original vaccine.

Italy didn’t change its definition of COVID-19 deaths; the disease killed more than 130,000 Italians

The underlying cause of death is a medical event that triggers a chain of clinical reactions that leads to the death of a patient. Pre-existing medical conditions may weaken a patient’s resistance to diseases, but they aren’t the cause of death. Deaths are attributed to COVID-19 if the patient had a SARS-CoV-2 infection and the clinical circumstances of the death are compatible with the disease. Even though most Italian COVID-19 deceased patients had pre-existing conditions, COVID-19 is responsible for their demise.