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Clinical trials showed that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is safe; its side effects are mostly mild

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine may cause mild and short-lived side effects such as fever, headache or fatigue. None of these effects have long-lasting consequences. Severe allergic reactions to the vaccine may occur, but these are rare and can be treated. Vaccination has been effective in eradicating polio from the vast majority of developing countries, preventing an estimated 16 million cases and 1.5 million deaths worldwide. While vaccine-derived polio cases do occur, they are very rare and can be avoided by improving sanitation and vaccine coverage in vulnerable communities.

Both viruses and bacteria cause disease; pathogenic viruses aren’t naturally created in the body as a response to damage

Pathogenic viruses and bacteria cause infectious diseases and, for both of these microbes to cause a disease, they first have to be caught, they are not generated spontaneously inside one’s body. In the case of viruses, these microbes infect cells and replicate inside them, using the cell’s machinery to produce more copies of the pathogenic virus that can leave the infected cells and infect new cells and also new individuals.

COVID-19 vaccines are critical for controlling the pandemic; vaccines still offer partial protection against new variants of the virus

Emerging variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, some of which are more transmissible, have led to speculation about the efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines. Emerging variants are subject to continuous monitoring to evaluate their potential impact on COVID-19 transmission and disease outcomes. The evidence so far indicates that COVID-19 vaccines still confer partial protection against these variants. Furthermore, the COVID-19 vaccines in use can be rapidly modified, and manufacturers are already anticipating new vaccine formulations to improve their efficacy against the new variants.

COVID-19 RNA vaccines are safe, cannot modify human DNA; death rate in vaccinated people isn’t higher than in unvaccinated people

The COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. were tested in thousands of people during clinical trials and were shown to be safe. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines are designed to prompt our cells to produce the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and cannot change your DNA. There are rare cases of anaphylactic reactions to the vaccines, which would be expected in any widely distributed vaccine. There is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines have contributed to any deaths.

Mask mandates are associated with reductions in the spread of COVID-19 cases and deaths; contrary to One America News article

A recent CDC study found that mask mandates were associated with a significant decrease in the growth rate of both COVID-19 cases and deaths during the 100 days after the policies were implemented. The study also found that policies allowing on-premises restaurant dining were associated with an increase in the growth rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Claiming that the CDC study shows mask usage had a negligible impact on the spread of COVID-19 is inaccurate.

Data from Israel showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine reduces the likelihood of dying from COVID-19; analysis in a forum post claiming the opposite is flawed

Clinical trials showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has an efficacy of about 95%. The vaccine requires two doses to achieve full efficacy. It can also take several weeks for immunity to develop, during which people still remain vulnerable to COVID-19. Safety data from trials and monitoring of ongoing vaccination campaigns don’t show that vaccinated people are more likely to die from COVID-19. In fact, data from Israel indicates that the vaccine is effective at reducing the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Six residents in a German nursing home died from COVID-19, not from vaccines

Any event that occurs after someone received a COVID-19 vaccine isn’t necessarily a consequence of vaccination but may simply happen by coincidence. The risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, posing a specific risk for this population. In contrast, available evidence doesn’t suggest that frail, elderly individuals are more susceptible to vaccine side effects than others. Ongoing safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccination shows that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are safe and effective for elderly populations.

The U.S. leads the world in number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, but not in the proportion of the population vaccinated

Several countries, including the U.S., started rolling out COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020. So far, the U.S. has administered more COVID-19 vaccine doses than any other country in the world. However, the majority of the U.S. population still needs to be vaccinated to halt the spread of the virus and reduce the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. When measured as a proportion of population, 15% of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine dose, as compared to 30% of the population in the U.K. and 55% of the population in Israel.