Search Results for covid-19

Ivermectin hasn’t proven effective in COVID-19 patients so far, despite persistent online claims

Ivermectin is used in humans as a safe and effective antiparasitic medication. However, this doesn’t support its use for other diseases, including COVID-19, unless clinical evidence demonstrates that the drug is safe and effective against that particular disease in people. Large, robust clinical trials so far haven’t shown that ivermectin provides a benefit in reducing COVID-19 severity, hospitalization rate, or mortality. Based on this evidence, ivermectin is currently not recommended for treating COVID-19.

Study led by FDA researchers didn’t find that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine caused blood clots, contrary to viral claims on social media

Certain COVID-19 vaccines, specifically the viral vector vaccines like the AstraZeneca and J & J vaccines, are associated with an increased risk of a blood clotting disorder called vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia, which can be fatal. At the moment, there isn’t evidence indicating that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are associated with the same risk. However, it’s important to also consider that getting COVID-19 itself increases a person’s risk of developing blood clotting problems to a greater extent than the viral vector COVID-19 vaccines.

Medical exemptions to COVID-19 vaccines are granted for contraindications, not including history of blood clots or adverse reaction to prior vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective against severe illness and death. People who have contraindications to COVID-19 vaccines can get a medical exemption. However, an adverse reaction to a previous vaccine and a history of blood clots aren’t, on their own, reasons not to vaccinate. On the contrary, COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for people with a history of blood clots, as they are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 and related complications, including blood clotting.

Contrary to viral Instagram videos, COVID-19 vaccines remain highly effective against severe disease

When interpreting and comparing vaccine effectiveness, it’s important to ensure that we compare like with like. For example, vaccine effectiveness against infection isn’t comparable to that against severe disease. Vaccine effectiveness isn’t static and depends on many factors. For instance, immunity can wane over time, therefore a study about vaccine effectiveness performed weeks post-vaccination isn’t representative of what happens months post-vaccination. The evolution of newer, more infectious variants can also render vaccines less effective against infection. However, the COVID-19 vaccines remain highly protective against severe disease.

Mask-wearing helps to reduce the spread of COVID-19; social media posts misinterpreted Annals of Internal Medicine study on N95 respirators

Although mask-wearing doesn’t prevent people from catching COVID-19 with 100% effectiveness, multiple peer-reviewed studies have shown that mask-wearing can and does meaningfully reduce the risk of transmitting the virus. Furthermore, mask-wearing isn’t associated with serious long-term health problems, whereas COVID-19 is. Consequently, mask-wearing is a low-risk intervention that offers important public health benefits, particularly during a pandemic caused by a respiratory virus.

Vaccination isn’t equal to parasitic infection; COVID-19 mRNA vaccines don’t hamper the production of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

Vaccines can contain fragments of viruses, inactivated virus, or attenuated virus, which train the body to recognize and fight an actual virus infection. Most vaccines cannot replicate in the body, unlike infectious viruses. Like conventional vaccine technologies, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines enhance the ability of the immune system to produce antibodies against the target virus. Vaccination isn’t equivalent to infection. While vaccination provides immunity like an infection would, it carries fewer risks than infection.

Multiple studies showed that COVID-19 increases the risk of heart inflammation more than vaccines do; study in Israel misleadingly used to claim otherwise

Myocarditis and pericarditis are conditions involving inflammation of the heart. Both conditions are commonly caused by viral infections, such as COVID-19 and the flu. The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have also been associated with a higher risk of myocarditis, particularly in young men. However, the risk of myocarditis is significantly higher after COVID-19 than after vaccination. Reliable scientific evidence shows that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh their risks.