Original title: British and American vaccinations, conspiracy theories prevail
[Global Times Special Correspondent Zhang Yifan]As the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries have begun to vaccinate the new crown vaccine on a large scale, conspiracy theories that the vaccine will threaten human safety are once again spreading on social media. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently stated that because these rumors may cause fatal misleading to people and slow down the success of the Western “war epidemic”, medical experts from various countries are working hard to reveal the scientific truth.
Vaccines change human genes?
On Western social media, the most popular rumor is that the new crown vaccine will change human DNA. Because the new crown vaccine developed by Pfizer uses the principle of mRNA vaccine, that is, part of the ribonucleic acid encoding protein (or messenger ribonucleic acid) in the virus is extracted into a vaccine. Unlike traditional vaccines, this vaccine does not contain attenuated or inactivated viruses and only carries genetic information of the new coronavirus pathogen. Therefore, starting in May this year, a video popular on social media claimed that mRNA vaccine technology “has never been tested or approved before” and that the injection of mRNA vaccine will change human DNA.
The BBC interviewed several scientists about this, and they all said in unison that “it’s nothing.” Professor Jeffrey Almond of the University of Oxford said, “Injecting ribonucleic acid into the human body will not change the DNA of human cells.” Because of the different chemical structure, mRNA cannot be integrated with DNA. Moreover, the chemical properties of mRNA itself are very unstable. Ulrike Protzer, director of the Institute of Virology at the Technical University of Munich, said that mRNA will be degraded soon after entering the cell.
In the past few years, research on mRNA vaccines has continued globally. Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, this type of vaccine has been tested on tens of thousands of people around the world and passed strict safety approval procedures. Even after the mRNA vaccine is approved for use, relevant safety monitoring continues.
Does the vaccine come from fetal cells?
It is also said that the new crown vaccine comes from the lung tissue cells of aborted fetuses. Many anti-abortion groups have launched a campaign to boycott the new crown vaccine and declared that “the use of such morally contaminated human cells to make vaccines is a great disrespect for human dignity.”
The BBC stated that a video posted by an anti-vaccine account on Facebook stated that there is evidence that a vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University uses fetal cells, “but the narrator’s explanation is wrong.” According to the report, the study mainly explores the reaction of vaccines introduced into human cells in the laboratory. One step in the development of a vaccine is to use cells grown in the laboratory, but there is absolutely no vaccine research using aborted fetuses.
The researchers of the Oxford University vaccine said that they used cloned cells, but these cells “are not cells of aborted babies themselves.” David Matthews of the University of Bristol added that in the final stage of making the vaccine, all traces of cells will be completely removed during the purification process. Dr. Michael Hyde of the University of Southampton said: “No fetal cells are used in any vaccine production process.”
Will the vaccine have serious side effects?
Another common conspiracy theory about the new crown vaccine is that its side effects are huge. There are pictures of disfigured people or animals circulating on social media, and the relevant annotations are usually “the first person to be vaccinated” or “no harm when vaccinated?”
Harvard University lecturer and anti-rumor expert Joan Donovan said: “Social media will link negative information with popular culture, which is particularly memorable and encourages people to share it. But it will cause us to lose our trust in science.” BBC Said that these sensational pictures have nothing to do with the new crown vaccine. The survey found that they are usually only shared among groups that strongly oppose vaccination. Scientists said that the new crown vaccine does have side effects, but most of these side effects are mild, such as arm soreness, headache, or increase in body temperature within a day or two.
Is vaccination better than direct infection?
Another video circulated on social media recently is even more ridiculous: it claims that the cure rate of new coronary pneumonia is 99.97%, so it is safer to directly contract the new coronavirus to gain immunity than vaccination.
The BBC stated that this statement is incorrect. Jason Oak, a statistician at the University of Oxford, said that about 99% of people infected with new coronary pneumonia will survive, which is equivalent to 100 deaths per 10,000 people, much higher than the three-ten thousandths reported by social media. Even so, Oak added that the 99% figure does not take into account the age of the infected person, nor does it take into account the long-term health effects of the new coronavirus even if they survive. “After being infected with the new coronavirus, in addition to severe patients who must be hospitalized for treatment, there are also long-term follow-up health problems. It will also take up a lot of medical resources and cause patients who need treatment for other diseases or injuries to be affected.” London Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Professor Liam Smith of the hospital said that whether or not to get vaccinated is not just about individuals, but the whole society.
Is the vaccine implanted in the human body?
There are also conspiracy theories directed against Bill Gates, the rich American and Microsoft founder, who is actively promoting the development of the new crown vaccine. The typical saying is that the COVID-19 pandemic is just a “mask”, with the goal of implanting traceable microchips in humans, and Bill Gates is the master behind the scenes. In March of this year, Bill Gates said in an interview that digital certificates can be used to show who has recovered from the new coronavirus, who has been tested, and who has been vaccinated. In that interview, he did not mention microchips, but rumors have since emerged. Some media claimed that “Bill Gates will use microchips to fight the new crown virus.”
The BBC stated that this statement sounds weird. The vaccine cannot contain microchips, and there is no evidence that Bill Gates is implementing this “large” plan.
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