GUEST POST: 6 Facts Debunking COVID-19 Myths From Vaccines To ‘It’s Just Like The Flu’

1. Vaccines ARE working

Data obtained so far indicates that vaccination reduces deaths, hospitalisation and transmission of COVID-19. So if you are infected after being vaccinated, your chances of developing severe symptoms are significantly reduced.

In addition, recent research demonstrates that the vaccines manufactured by AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna offer some protection against the variant of concern named Delta. 

We still don’t know exactly how long the immunity resulting from vaccination will last and it is likely that “boosters” will eventually become necessary to offer longer-lasting protection.

2. COVID-19 is NOT “just the flu”

Both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza are diseases resulting from infection by viruses, producing ‘similar’ symptoms. Public health measures such as the use of masks and social distancing are effective to reduce the transmission of both types of viruses.

In fact, these are different viruses altogether and PCR tests can distinguish between the two. COVID-19 results from infection by one of the SARS-CoV-2 variants and these make part of the coronavirus family. On the other hand, seasonal influenza is most often caused by strains of human Influenza A or B that form part of the Influenza family of viruses. 

This means that there are a few important differences.

1. COVID-19 has a longer incubation period than influenza, thus symptoms take a longer time to appear and it takes longer for the virus to be detected, therefore one is contagious for a long period without even realising they are infected.

2. COVID-19 has proven to be more contagious than influenza, meaning that the virus is easily transmitted from one person to another. In addition, variants of concern like the Alpha and Delta have drastically increased the transmission rate of the original virus (the wild-type).

3. COVID-19 appears to give rise to a higher risk of hospitalisation and death when compared to seasonal influenza. Studies show that COVID patients are nearly five times more likely to die than those with influenza. Furthermore, COVID-19 patients are more likely to require breathing machines, are more likely to be admitted to intensive care and require longer hospital stays than flu patients.

4. COVID-19 has a wider range of increased complications associated with it – these include blood clots as well as a multi-system inflammatory syndrome.

5. ‘Long COVID’ – To make matters worse, over 55 persistent symptoms of COVID-19 have been identified that can last for months after a COVID diagnosis. These include fatigue, headache, difficulty concentrating (or brain fog), hair loss, shortness of breath, myocarditis, thrombosis and an increased risk of stroke. 

6. Influenza has existed for many years and adopted a seasonal pattern, peaking in the winter months. COVID-19, on the other hand, is a novel disease and although studies suggest that transmission decreases with increased temperature and UV, our immune system is too susceptible at the moment to simply rely on seasonal variation for protection.

3. Don’t dismiss COVID-19 just because you’re young

Younger people have a lower risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19, but the latest variant, Delta, is easily transmissible and increases the risk of ‘long COVID’  in young people too. 

Recent studies have suggested that 10% to 50% of individuals infected with COVID-19 experience long-term symptoms, while 73% of those hospitalised with COVID-19 experience at least one symptom that lasts at least 60 days. In addition, research done locally shows that around 25% of local COVID cases suffered from a form of long COVID. 

So COVID-19 doesn’t have to kill you to affect your quality of life!

You should be more concerned about the long-term effects of COVID-19, rather than that of the vaccine!

4. You won’t get COVID-19 from the vaccine itself

This is effectively impossible, as the vaccines do not contain the SARS CoV-2 virus.  In fact, there are either: 

1. The instructions to produce the spike protein, an important part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (which is harmless by itself)  in the vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

2. A harmless adenovirus for the viral vector vaccines manufactured by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

Sounds like a great deal, right?

5. It’s in everyone’s interest that those who can get vaccinated should do so 

It’s important to note that not everyone can get vaccinated, even if they want to. Individuals suffering from certain medical conditions or those who are immunosuppressed cannot be vaccinated. These individuals depend on “herd immunity” for their protection, so they need the people around them to be vaccinated in order to reduce their risk of being infected.

Secondly, no vaccine is 100% effective. This means that there is always a risk of getting sick and spreading the virus to others, even if you are fully vaccinated. This risk greatly increases if you haven’t been vaccinated.

Third, since vaccines reduce viral replication and transmission, they decrease the risk of variants forming. This is important because variants can become partially or completely resistant to the immunity built by natural infection or vaccines.

Therefore, failing to get vaccinated will increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to others, while contributing to making vaccination efforts less effective.

6. Even if you already contracted COVID-19, you should still get vaccinated

The duration of natural immunity following COVID-19 infection is likely a few months but its exact duration is uncertain and may vary, which makes it essential to get vaccinated to improve one’s immunity.

This is also the case with other infections, such as tetanus and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Since the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) and AstraZeneca vaccines were studied using two doses, patients who have recovered from COVID-19 are still encouraged to take the full course (two doses) of vaccination.

The drafting of this article was a collaborative effort between various members of the Hekk Hu Team team, all of whom have a medical and/or scientific background (John Cauchi, Clint Mizzi, Jordy Borg, Gabrielle Zammit). Charles Cassar, a lawyer, assists us with coordination. 

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