Country-to-country comparison doesn’t show that COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective, contrary to Facebook post by journalist Sharyl Attkisson

When comparing country-level COVID-19 data, care must be taken when drawing conclusions because such analyses come with a high risk of bias. It is important to account for many factors, such as COVID-19 testing policy, each country’s age distribution, and compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures, because these are all factors that affect COVID-19 outcomes reported in each country.

Are claims linking recent U.S. trends in cancer diagnoses to COVID-19 vaccines plausible? A look at the available data

Claims questioning COVID-19 vaccine safety have circulated continuously since COVID-19 vaccination campaigns began at the end of 2020. One such claim suggests that there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of cancer cases after the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, implying that the vaccines are responsible for this phenomenon. Science Feedback previously explained why this … Continued

No, a court didn’t rule that the FDA broke the law with advisory warning against using ivermectin for COVID-19

Ivermectin is approved for treating parasitic infections in people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some promoted ivermectin as an effective drug to treat COVID-19. Some physicians also prescribed the drug “off-label” for COVID-19. However, there is a lack of reliable scientific evidence to support using ivermectin to treat COVID-19. Ivermectin isn’t approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating COVID-19.

Steve Kirsch promotes flawed study making false claim about COVID-19 vaccines and cancer risk

People with cancer are at a greater risk of developing severe COVID-19. This group is recommended to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the vaccines reduce the risk of severe disease. Clinical trials and post-marketing monitoring have shown that the vaccines are safe, with their benefits outweighing their risks. To date, there’s no data suggesting that COVID-19 vaccines are associated with a greater risk of cancer or an acceleration in cancer progression.

No evidence that persistent symptoms are more frequent after COVID-19 vaccination than after infection, contrary to an op-ed in The Hill

Some people have reported symptoms resembling long COVID after COVID-19 vaccination. Research on these symptoms is still limited, and their potential link with COVID-19 vaccines remains undetermined. However, these cases are rare, and the risk associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection far outweighs the risk of developing long-term complications after COVID-19 vaccination. Studies are ongoing to better understand the cause of post-vaccination symptoms and their possible relationship with COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccines, treatments reduced public health threat posed by COVID-19, explaining different approach in 2024 compared to 2020

Over time, COVID-19 has become a smaller threat to public health than it was in 2020 and 2021. The combination of vaccination, better treatments, widespread immunity among the population, and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants mean that COVID-19 patients now experience milder disease and are less likely to die. These improvements have reduced the overall risk posed by COVID-19, justifying a change in guidelines.

Tennessee House Bill HB1894 isn’t evidence that vaccines are present in food at grocery stores; edible vaccines remain hypothetical for now

Growing vaccines in edible plants is emerging as a promising alternative to traditional vaccines, particularly in developing countries where challenges in vaccine storage and distribution greatly limit people’s access to vaccination. Studies so far provide proof-of-principle that this approach is feasible. However, the technology still needs to overcome several technical hurdles before it can enter the market. Among them are the low levels of vaccine production per plant and difficulty in standardizing dosage.

Various childhood vaccines have been tested in saline placebo-controlled randomized trials, contrary to claims by those opposed to vaccination

Randomized controlled trials are commonly held up as the gold standard for determining the safety and efficacy of a medical intervention, like a vaccine or a drug. Saline placebo-controlled trials are sometimes used to test a new vaccine, but such trials aren’t always practical or ethical to do. For instance, when testing a new vaccine against a disease for which there are existing, effective vaccines, such a trial would leave the placebo group unprotected from the disease. In such cases, it is considered acceptable to compare the new vaccine with an existing one.

The American Red Cross doesn’t prevent people vaccinated against COVID-19 from donating blood, contrary to rehashed viral claim

The blood from a person vaccinated against COVID-19 isn’t less safe than that of someone who received another vaccine or that of an unvaccinated person. The American Red Cross doesn’t establish special requirements for people who received a COVID-19 vaccine and wish to donate blood. As a general requirement, when people receive a vaccine containing a live, weakened virus, they are recommended to wait two weeks after vaccination to donate blood. However, no such COVID-19 vaccine is currently authorized in the U.S., so deferral doesn’t apply to COVID-19 vaccine recipients.