Health authorities use various complementary vaccine safety monitoring systems to ensure vaccines are safe. In May 2023, the CDC paused its app-based monitoring system v-safe. However, other systems, including VAERS, are still operational. Health authorities are still collecting data on vaccine safety.
Stark differences in COVID-19 mortality in the U.S. have been observed across racial lines, with the White population generally experiencing a lower mortality rate relative to other racial groups. Differences in access to healthcare, chronic disease burden, and socioeconomic status are some of the likely contributing factors. However, this mortality gap narrowed later during the pandemic. Various reasons have been proposed to explain this, such as ideologically and politically-rooted differences in people’s decision to follow public health recommendations.
There have been many misleading claims about ivermectin’s effectiveness as a COVID-19 treatment. While recognized for its efficacy against parasites, ivermectin’s antiviral effects remain uncertain, and clinical trials have not shown conclusive benefits for COVID-19. Health authorities caution against its use for COVID-19 due to potential side effects and a lack of reliable supporting evidence. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t changed its stance, contrary to recent social media posts incorrectly claiming otherwise. The agency maintains its position that ivermectin is not approved for COVID-19 prevention or treatment.
2021 and 2022 mortality data from England confirm that COVID-19 vaccines effectively protect against death from the disease. The numbers of deaths among vaccinated and unvaccinated populations cannot be directly compared because of several statistical biases, such as the obvious fact that more people are vaccinated than not. Rigorous analysis accounting for these biases show that the risk of dying from COVID-19 is lower when people are vaccinated.
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a condition where people develop an allergic reaction to products containing the sugar molecule alpha-gal (galactose-α-1,3-galactose). Alpha-gal is present in animal-derived products, including red meat, milk, and ingredients of animal origin in certain vaccines, like gelatin or bovine serum. However, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain animal products, therefore they don’t carry the risk of causing allergic reactions in people with AGS nor would they be expected to cause a meat allergy.
COVID-19 vaccines went through clinical trials to determine their effectiveness and safety before they were authorized for use. The Nuremberg Code is a set of ten principles defining legitimate medical research. However, the Code doesn’t apply to medical interventions that were already tested in clinical trials and shown to be safe and effective, like the COVID-19 vaccines.
The VAERS database is a pharmacosurveillance tool used to detect early signs of unusual adverse event patterns following vaccination. However, on its own, it cannot prove that a vaccine caused the reported adverse events, including deaths. Therefore, VAERS data alone don’t show that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous.
A study by a research team in Switzerland found possible signs of mild and transient damage to cardiac cells following vaccination, but didn’t find evidence of abnormal heart function or myocarditis. Getting COVID-19 is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular complications than vaccination, and the outcomes are worse. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at reducing the risks of severe forms of the disease, including serious cardiovascular issues.
Getting COVID-19 carries a greater risk of developing health complications compared to COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines contain messenger RNA (mRNA) that provides the blueprint for making spike protein. Modified mRNA isn’t intrinsically artificial. Modifications to mRNA also occur naturally in humans and are used to regulate gene expression. Scientists took their cue from nature when modifying COVID-19 vaccine mRNA to improve its stability and efficiency in protein synthesis.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 12 May 2021. He explained that, while he could have received it earlier, he decided to wait until low-income countries started vaccination as a sign of protest against inequality of access to vaccines.
