Photo courtesy of Ochsner
State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter is hoping to bust some common COVID vaccine myths.
One concern Kanter said he hears all too often is that the mRNA technology behind the vaccine is new and untested. He says that is not true.
“The messenger RNA technology has been around for years and we have used it in cancer therapeutics for years. One of the differences is we have not produced these cancer therapeutics is the volume that we will need to produce these vaccines,” said Kanter.
Another falsehood Kanter said needs to go away is the rumor that the COVID vaccine itself can give you COVID.
“Some older types of vaccines used a virus as a host but one of the great things about these new types of vaccines is it does not use a vaccine as a host, either a live or dead virus,” said Kanter.
Kanter said a few stories have popped up about people getting COVID a day or two after being vaccinated. He says that’s not the vaccine giving you COVID, that’s the vaccine not having enough time to develop immunity in you, and you catching COVID from another source.
Finally, Kanter said he’s heard many people raise concerns over the vaccine’s impact on fertility. He says women of childbearing age should absolutely get the shot.
“They are going themselves a disservice if they are not out of this unfounded fear. There is absolutely no evidence nor is there a plausible mechanism by which these vaccines would impair someone’s fertility,” said Kanter.
Ochsner Health System reported fertility concerns as one of the reasons why only half of their staff had been vaccinated. An Ochsner staff source told LRN the primary reason for the low vaccination numbers amongst staff is a lack of vaccine supply allocated for staff.
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