The coronavirus vaccine is the hottest topic. Doctors believe that if there are no restrictions on health, it is necessary to be grafted. This will help us build herd immunity faster and cope with the pandemic. However, many people are still afraid to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In part because there are many myths circulating around vaccines and their potential health effects. We decided to analyze the ten most popular ones together with the experts.

The coronavirus vaccine can affect female fertility, so it is dangerous for pregnant women to get vaccinated. It also causes infertility.

The truth is , the COVID-19 vaccine causes the body to make copies of the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus. So she teaches the immune system to fight the virus. The myth appeared when they began to write that this adhesion protein is the same as the protein that is involved in the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy. But in fact, scientists say , these are different proteins.

“Not a single official source in Russia or any other country links coronavirus vaccination with the risk of infertility. Here you need to understand that the vaccine affects the immune system. Infertility is most often an organic problem. Research on the effectiveness of a vaccine for our reproductive system is impossible, because for this you need to take a group of vaccinated people and monitor this group for 5-10 years. Moreover, both before the onset of pregnancy, and after, in order to determine whether there is any effect of the vaccine. Therefore, the standard restriction for vaccination is pregnancy and the period of breastfeeding and, of course, children under 18 years of age, ”says Maria Ordzhonikidze, chief physician of the Nearmedik network of clinics.

“As for other vaccines, they, like antibiotics, are prescribed when the risk of complications for the mother and fetus exceeds the possible harm from the disease. When planning a pregnancy, specialists from the Ministry of Health recommend vaccination as a measure to protect the reproductive system, which is also under threat when infected, ”adds Tuyaara Sannikova, deputy chief physician for outpatient work at the Crimean branch of the FGBU FNCTs FMBA of Russia .

If a person has already had a coronavirus, he definitely does not need to be vaccinated.

People who have had COVID-19 still need to get vaccinated. At least because, as it turned out, it is possible to get infected with the new coronavirus again. Another question is that they will not do this in the first place, because they already have antibodies in their bodies.

“At the same time, antibodies in the body do not exist forever. According to research, on average they last about 3-4 months, – comments Maria Ordzhonikidze. “ Therefore, after 3-4 months, it is recommended to re-check the level of anti-rbd antibodies, observe changes and, if the level has dropped significantly, discuss the situation with a doctor and decide on the need for vaccination.”

“Also, do not forget that the virus has different strains: in December 2020 , the rapid spread of the new COVID-19 mutation began in several Western countries, so the disease you have suffered is not a reason to refuse vaccination. However, according to the WHO recommendation, people who have had the disease should be vaccinated no earlier than six months after recovery, relying on a blood test for the strength of immunity (IgM and IgG), ”explains Tuyaara Sannikova.

Vaccines appeared too quickly (we have coronavirus only a year), so they can not be effective.

Pharmaceutical companies have invested significant resources in the rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccine due to the global nature of the pandemic. An emergency called for the same response – but that doesn’t mean someone bypassed security protocols or failed to conduct adequate testing.

“The terms of development and testing have not been shortened – these processes are strictly controlled by international protocols. The reason for the rapid release of the vaccine is in the mobilization of resources: a record number of employees, a large amount of money and hardware were involved in the development , and all bureaucracy was minimized, ”explains Tuyaara Sannikova.

“NIITsEM Gamaleya has been dealing with vector vaccines for fifteen years. And more than six years ago, they have already been released and successfully used. In particular, according to this principle, the Ebola vaccine and the MERS vaccine , similar to the coronavirus, but a different strain, were made, says Maria Ordzhonikidze about the Russian vaccine. – It took scientists several weeks to change the gene that carries the adenovirus. Figuratively speaking, the locomotive was invented long ago, but have it peretsepili car, which is also well traveled. ”

The expert adds that an article in The Lancet is also an important evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccine . “This is one of the oldest and most respected publications about medicine in general. Those who know firsthand how the international scientific world works, understand that our vaccine and the publication of it in the journal is a great achievement that should be proud of, ”adds Maria Ordzhonikidze.

The media constantly write that vaccines are dying, which means that they are unsafe and it is better not to be vaccinated.

“ No such precedents have been recorded with the Sputnik V vaccine,” Maria Ordzhonikidze comments on the myth . – With all the accidents with vaccination other vaccines should be dealt individually. But it is worth noting that life expectancy in general for humanity in the twentieth century has become higher precisely because vaccines were invented against many diseases to help overcome the disease, and it is thanks to various vaccinations that infant mortality has significantly decreased when compared with other historical periods. ”

If the vaccine is done, you can not wear a mask and gloves and stop using an antiseptic

Experts are of the opinion that vaccinated by COVID-19 still need to take precautions. At least because many approved vaccines require two doses at regular intervals, plus it takes time for antibodies to begin to develop.

“If the vaccination is two-component, like Sputnik V, then the formation of immunity begins after the first phase, and ends 3-4 weeks after the second round of vaccination. Thus, the patient has a window of 6–8 weeks between the first round and the formation of final immunity. The term is quite long, so doctors, researchers and scientists recommend during this period to protect yourself from visiting crowded places, hypothermia, contact with someone with ARVI symptoms, ”says Maria Ordzhonikidze.
“Vaccination protects against severe course and complications, reduces the risk of the disease itself, but does not completely eliminate it, ” adds Tuyaara Sannikova. – A person can still carry the virus. In addition, maintaining social distance and using personal protective equipment reduces the risk of infection not only with COVID-19, but also with any other infections that are transmitted by airborne droplets and by household contact. ”

Side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are scarier than coronavirus itself

“The reaction to the vaccine can be fever, weakness and aches. At the same time, the disease itself can be asymptomatic, or it can be with complications such as lung damage, connecting the patient to a ventilator, and even lead to death. By Unfortunately, such cases are not counted units and thousands, so to compare them with the side effects from the vaccinations correctly “, – explains Tuyara Sannikov.

Most of the side effects from coronavirus vaccines are believed to be short-lived and benign. An exception is the presence of an allergy in a person , especially severe, in which the possibility of vaccination must be discussed with a doctor.

“If there is a hypersensitivity to any component of the vaccine, then this is a medical withdrawal from any vaccination. In the same way as we get a medication from influenza vaccination if a patient is allergic to chicken protein, ”says Maria Ordzhonikidze. In the case of the Sputnik V vaccine, the expert adds, the developer also gives information on how to use the vaccine with caution in cases of central nervous system damage, epilepsy, coronary syndrome, previous pericarditis and myocarditis, as this can complicate the process.

The vaccine can enter cells and change DNA

Vaccines use messenger RNA to instruct our cells how to distinguish the spike protein from the coronavirus. RNA is something made from DNA but not designed to integrate with it.

“The biomechanism of the vaccine action completely excludes the ‘technical’ possibility of the components to be incorporated into the human genome, ” notes Tuyaara Sannikova. Maria Ordzhonikidze agrees with her: “The Sputnik V vector vaccine is like a locomotive that delivers the trailer to the right place and blocks only the spike that clings to the cell of the body. After that, the virus becomes harmless and after a while, unable to “catch” and penetrate into the body, it just leaves it. ”

You can catch the coronavirus from the coronavirus vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine does not infect humans with the coronavirus. This is only a protein that is part of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Protein, in turn, only helps the immune system recognize and fight the virus , but does not cause any infection.

“ There is no live virus in the vaccine . The vector created during vaccination is a “non-living” virus. It does not have a gene for reproduction, therefore it is completely safe for humans, ”explains Tuyaara Sannikova.

The Russian vaccine is definitely worse than all the others. And in general, they did not experience it properly, but they are already vaccinating us with might and main.

In this sense, doctors are unanimous: the vaccine has been tested well and it is definitely not worse than foreign options. “To be vaccinated or not is a personal and voluntary decision of each person, ” says Tuyaara Sannikova in this regard. – But Russian vaccines have undergone preclinical and laboratory studies, during which they have proven their ability to prevent infection with COVID-19. They are registered and approved , among other things, by the World Health Organization. ”

All of these vaccines just don’t work. Why else are there so many of them ? Scientists around the world could unite to make only one ideal, because the new coronavirus is a global problem

According to experts, the vaccine is not a superhero shield and a glass dome that makes the coronavirus pass three kilometers away from us . The first is the way to alleviate the condition of the body when dealing with a virus, but it can be done in different ways.

“Today there are several types of vaccines: inactivated (when a live virus is inactivated by physical or chemical methods and introduced into the body), based on virus-like particles (they are only being investigated now, because they are expensive and not for mass production), subunit (when a complete copy of the virus was invented in the form of certain proteins, as in the EpicVac vaccine) and vector (such genetic engineering, when a gene of some protein is isolated from a whole virus and used).