COVID-19 Myths vs Reality

At this stage in the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation is everywhere… we have all experienced moments where we’ve struggled to separate fact from fiction! This type of information spreads quickly online and is often easy to believe if the science is not well explained. But widespread trust in inaccurate facts can be dangerous to the global effort to end the pandemic. Here we address some of the common myths about COVID-19 and explain the scientific realities.

Myth 1: Being infected with COVID-19 gives you as much protection as being vaccinated

Reality: When we’re talking about protection against COVID-19, antibodies are the most important indicator. Levels of antibodies are higher in people who receive two doses of the vaccine than those who have recently been infected with COVID-19.¹ Although the duration of protection wanes over time with both infection and the vaccination, a booster vaccination dose has been proven to increase the length of protection.²

If you want to protect yourself against severe illness from COVID-19, getting at least two doses of the vaccine is a safer choice.

Myth 2: COVID-19 is only as bad as the flu

Reality: This is a common misconception because some of the symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to that of flu. But stats around hospitalisations and deaths show that COVID-19 is much more severe than the flu. In England and Wales, the number of deaths from flu was 1,223 during 2019,³ whilst 73,766 people died due to COVID-19 in 2020.⁴ Hospitalisations follow the same trend and are a lot higher amongst people infected with COVID-19 than with the flu.⁵

COVID-19 causes higher numbers of hospitalisations and deaths than the flu and we should take it incredibly seriously in order to protect our community.

Myth 3: The COVID-19 vaccines are causing COVID-19 variants

Reality: Variants occur when the genetic code of the virus mutates (changes), creating a slightly different version of the virus. Variants are born as the virus replicates and spreads throughout the population as this gives it increased opportunities to change.⁶ Vaccines actually prevent new variants from emerging as they reduce the spread of the virus, giving it less chance to mutate.

Variants occur naturally and are not caused by COVID-19 vaccines. In fact, the vaccines are helping to stop new variants forming.

Myth 4: Taking vitamins can prevent you from being infected with COVID-19

Reality: This is a myth because only physical barriers can prevent the virus from entering your body and infecting your cells, for example by wearing a face mask. However, vitamin D, vitamin C and zinc all boost your immune system and could strengthen your body’s response to the virus, making your symptoms less severe and recovery quicker. Vitamin D in particular has been shown to decrease oxygen requirements and the need for ICU treatment in patients hospitalised with COVID-19.⁷

Although they will not stop you from contracting COVID-19, taking vitamins is always a good idea for general health.

Myth 5: COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility or threaten pregnancy

Reality: Although a number of people have reported changes in their period after receiving the vaccine, the effects are only temporary and there is no evidence the vaccine affects fertility.⁸ A change in timing or duration of your period can be explained by the strong immune response triggered by the vaccine.⁸ Changes in menstrual cycle also occur in people infected with COVID-19 because of the similar physical stress it induces.⁹

The vaccine does not threaten pregnancy either. Studies have shown that pregnant women who receive the vaccine do not experience increased adverse pregnancy outcomes.¹⁰ ¹¹ But contracting COVID-19 can be dangerous for pregnant women as they are more likely to experience severe symptoms.¹² Vaccination can protect pregnant women from the symptoms that could threaten their pregnancy.

If you are pregnant or thinking about having a baby, getting vaccinated is the safest choice to protect you from COVID-19.

Myth 6: If I don’t have symptoms, I can’t pass COVID-19 on

Reality: Even if you don’t have symptoms, the virus can still be in your body and spread to other people. People who never get symptoms are less infectious because they are not coughing or sneezing, but they can still have high viral loads and pass the virus on.¹³ People who develop symptoms are actually most infectious one to two days before they start feeling unwell.¹⁴

You can still pass the virus on if you don’t have symptoms and you may even be more infectious than when you do develop symptoms.

Myth 7: The COVID-19 vaccines rewrite your DNA

Reality: This misconception relates to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that use new mRNA technology. mRNA is a small set of genetic instructions that your body uses to learn how to fight off COVID-19. It is fundamentally different to DNA and does not interact with your DNA or change it in any way.¹⁵

The mRNA used in certain COVID-19 vaccines is only in your body for a short amount of time and cannot rewrite your DNA.

References

1. Ali, H., Alahmad, B., Al-Shammari, A., Alterki, A., Hammad, M., & Cherian, P. et al. (2021). Previous COVID-19 Infection and Antibody Levels After Vaccination. Frontiers In Public Health, 9. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.778243
2. COVID-19 vaccine booster provides good antibody protection against Omicron : University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. (2022). Accessible at https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/news/covid-19-vaccine-booster-provides-good-antibody-protection-against-omicron
3. Influenza deaths in 2018, 2019 and 2020 - Office for National Statistics. (2021). Accessible at https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/influenzadeathsin20182019and2020
4. Deaths due to COVID-19, registered in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics. (2021). Retrieved 11 May 2022, from https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/deathsregisteredduetocovid19/2020
5. COVID-19 versus the Seasonal Flu: Facts and Figures - QPS. (2020). Accessible at https://www.qps.com/2020/10/05/covid-19-versus-the-seasonal-flu-facts-and-figures/
6. Understanding Variants. (2021). Accessible at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/understanding-variants.html
7. Speakman, L., Michienzi, S., & Badowski, M. (2021). Vitamins, supplements and COVID-19: a review of currently available evidence. Drugs In Context, 10, 1-15. doi: 10.7573/dic.2021-6-2
8. Male, V. (2021). Menstrual changes after covid-19 vaccination. BMJ, n2211. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n2211
9. Li, K., Chen, G., Hou, H., Liao, Q., Chen, J., & Bai, H. et al. (2021). Analysis of sex hormones and menstruation in COVID-19 women of child-bearing age. Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 42(1), 260-267. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2020.09.020
10. Chen, F., Zhu, S., Dai, Z., Hao, L., Luan, C., & Guo, Q. et al. (2021). Effects of COVID-19 and mRNA vaccines on human fertility. Human Reproduction, 37(1), 5-13. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deab238
11. Shimabukuro, T., Kim, S., Myers, T., Moro, P., Oduyebo, T., & Panagiotakopoulos, L. et al. (2021). Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons. New England Journal Of Medicine, 384(24), 2273-2282. doi: 10.1056/nejmoa2104983
12. New study shows significant impacts of severe COVID-19 infection on pregnancy outcomes | University of Oxford. (2022). Accessible at https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-02-28-new-study-shows-significant-impacts-severe-covid-19-infection-pregnancy-outcomes
13. Ra, S., Lim, J., Kim, G., Kim, M., Jung, J., & Kim, S. (2020). Upper respiratory viral load in asymptomatic individuals and mildly symptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thorax, 76(1), 61-63. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215042
14. Carbajal, E. (2020). COVID-19 patients most infectious 2 days before, 5 days after symptoms emerge, analysis finds. Accessible at https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/infection-control/covid-19-patients-most-infectious-2-days-before-5-days-after-symptoms-emerge-analysis-finds.html
15. The COVID-19 vaccine does not change human DNA. (2021). Accessible at https://www.unicef.org/montenegro/en/stories/covid-19-vaccine-does-not-change-human-dna