We are constantly confronted with new findings on the efficacy and side effects of various coronavirus vaccines. But keeping up with the latest research and making sense is frightening to lay women and has created fertile ground for spreading falsehoods on the internet. In this DW fact check, we put the four biggest myths surrounding coronavirus vaccines in the spotlight.
Claim: mRNA vaccines manipulate human DNA
DW: False
It is easy to confuse DNA and RNA, two similar abbreviations associated with genetic material. But they are very different.
DNA contains the genetic blueprint that determines the different characteristics of our bodies. Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 have RNA that stores their genetic material.
But RNA is also found in the human body and plays a role in protein synthesis.
Viruses use this mechanism to reproduce in human cells. However, the human body recognizes these invaders by their protein peak and produces antibodies and t-cells to fight the virus.
RNA vaccinations inject only one element of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into the human body, namely mRNA, which contains the blueprint to produce its ear protein. The human immune system then begins to function and forms antibodies against the pathogen.
However, no human or viral RNA ever enters the nucleus. This means that it does not come into contact with our genetic material. After its purpose, human cells then break down the RNA.
A scientific study published in December 2020 claims that the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can manipulate human DNA by reverse transcriptase (RT), an enzyme that transcribes RNA into DNA, which cell nucleus can penetrate. The study in question has not yet been judged by a peer and is being discussed extensively.
David Baltimore, a virologist who won the Nobel Prize for his role in the discovery of RT, described the findings as ‘impressive’ and ‘unexpected’. He notes that the authors only show that fragments of SARS-CoV-2’s genome can be integrated. But “because they are all pieces of the coronaviral genome, it cannot lead to infectious RNA or DNA and therefore is probably biologically a dead end.”
Waldemar Kolanus, head of the Life & Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES) at the University of Bonn, doubts whether the findings are relevant to the actual vaccine. In conversation with DW, he said that the structure of mRNA has been deliberately altered for vaccines to prevent cells from breaking it down immediately. “It probably can’t be reverse transcribed.” As such, mRNA vaccines are much safer with respect to such processes than actual virus genomes, he says.
Human DNA is well protected and cannot be ‘damaged’ by the vaccine
Claim: Corona vaccinations make women infertile
DW: False
It is claimed that antibodies produced by SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations bind not only to viral stinging proteins but also to Syncytin-1, a protein that plays a role in placental development. Some claim that vaccines inactivate this protein and thereby cause infertility.
“In general, there are a plethora of reasons why this theory may not be true,” Udo Markert of Jena University’s Placenta Lab told DW. He says one reason is that both proteins have very little in common. According to the researcher, they are only 0.75% identical. “It’s very little.”
Researchers have investigated this potential danger in the past for a drug against multiple sclerosis (MS). They found that the targeted protein had 81% similarity to Syncytin-1. Despite this close agreement, no significant side effects were recorded.
Udo Markert says the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, is another reason why this theory may not be true. After an infection, he says, “women are exposed to much greater amounts of protein than after a vaccination.” If the infertility theory were true, COVID-19 would pose an even greater risk to female fertility than any vaccine.
According to Markert, women who contracted the SARS virus during the 2003/2004 outbreak also showed no signs of infertility. After all, the SARS virus ear protein has a great deal in common with that on SARS-CoV-2.
The British Fertility Society concludes that “there is absolutely no evidence, and no theoretical reason, that any of the vaccines can affect the fertility of women or men.”
There is no evidence that COVID vaccines affect fertility in women
Claim: SARS-CoV-2 vaccines developed rapidly
DW: Misleading
The development and approval of vaccines usually takes ten to 15 years, sometimes even longer. The first SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have meanwhile taken less than a year to be approved. It is therefore understandable that some people feel uncomfortable about this developmental speed in the neck. There are several explanations as to why the vaccines were ready for use after such a short time.
One is that developers build on existing knowledge. Vaccines use technologies that have already been studied or even tested. Researchers knew a lot about coronaviruses from the study of the SARS and MERS (2012) pathogens. Vaccines have also been developed in these contexts.
Another reason is that large sums of money are being poured into the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. It has provided researchers with enough resources and staff to tackle this task and perform many more tests than usual.
A third reason lies in the fact that many processes are streamlined and accelerated. Mark Toshner, who was involved in testing the AstraZeneca vaccine, told the BBC it was misleading to think that vaccination trials would take years. He says in reality a lot of time is spent waiting on research funds, finding subjects and permission to conduct experiments. Since time was of the essence in the pandemic, some tests that are normally performed in succession were performed simultaneously. Vaccines were then subjected to so-called ongoing review, which means that the authorities assessed the test results when they entered. Despite these accelerated steps, all vaccines had to be strictly approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for EU market approval.
For all these reasons, accelerated development and screening processes do not mean that the corners have been cut. This simply indicates that vaccine development has had the highest priority in the midst of the global pandemic.
Many top politicians, such as Antonio Guterres’ secretary general, have vaccinated themselves in front of role cameras
Claim: People who have recovered from COVID are better protected against infection than if they were vaccinated
DW: Misleading
A large majority of people who contract SARS-CoV-2 experience only mild symptoms, or none at all. According to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 80% of all those who tested positive for the virus during the first wave of infections in the spring of 2020, showed mild symptoms. The remaining 20% have meanwhile suffered from severe or even critically dangerous COVID-19.
Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that individuals who are unlikely to develop severe symptoms will not suffer from a severe case of COVID-19. Young, healthy people still develop severe symptoms and die.
SARS-CoV-2 has also been observed to cause long-term health problems known as ‘long COVID’. Issues include chronic fatigue and vascular problems. Long COVID can also be the result of milder infections.
It is currently unknown if and when these long-term symptoms disappear, deputy head of the German Society for Immunology, Reinhold Förster, tells DW. Risking an infection, instead of being immunized, therefore carries a high risk.
Protesters took to the streets to protest against vaccines and delayed the fight against the pandemic
Another argument in favor of vaccinations is that immune systems respond differently to pushes than actual infections. A virologist Christian Drosten told the public broadcaster NDR that ‘vaccines can provide longer protection against infection. ‘He says research shows vaccinations lead to the production of more antibodies for longer periods.
Based on his as yet unpublished research findings, Förster agrees. “What essentially counts is the quantity and quality of the antibodies produced,” he said. The quantity aspect relates to the affinity of antibodies that bind to proteins and thus prevent infections, he says. Förster says that after two BioNTech / Pfizer samples, antibodies are observed that exhibit these properties.
The decision not to be vaccinated also has a social dimension. Being immunized helps the overall spread of the virus, which reduces the overall risk of infection.
Rachel Baig contributed to this article, which was translated from German.