Setting the record straight

• Published date: 30 September 2021
• Publication title: Taupo Weekender

Vaccines affect womens’ menstrual cycles and fertilityFertility is something that is deeply cherished; after all, the survival of our species depends on it.

There have been rumours that COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility. Even though there is no evidence that this is the case, such rumours can cause people to worry. There seems to be two sources of these rumours.

One appears to be from a misreading of a study presented to a regulator where rats were given 1333 times the vaccine dose. The other stems from a claim that there was similarity between the viral spike protein and a protein in placentas. In fact, there is no more similarity between these than any other random protein.

However, most importantly, data from many sources shows there is no difference in the fertility rate among vaccinated women and unvaccinated women. In contrast, infection with COVID-19 is associated with many risks to the mother and the pregnancy. So, the best protection for women who are planning to become pregnant or who are already pregnant is vaccination against this virus.

Vaccines can harm childrenPediatricians are seeing many more young children being admitted to hospital with severe COVID-19 than they were at the beginning of the pandemic.

Also, children can be affected by what is called “long COVID”. The Pfizer vaccine has now completed trials in children down to age 5 years and millions of doses have been given to children aged over 12 years.

Countries all over the world are monitoring the safety very, very closely. It is very clear that the vaccine has a very good safety profile in children and it is also very effective. A lower dose is being used in the 5-to-11-year-olds.

There is a lot more risk from the disease than there is from the vaccine, even in these younger age groups.

Vaccines cause magnetismSOme viral video clips have been circulating showing people sticking things like cutlery to their bodies and claiming the vaccine has made them magnetic. You can get a spoon and stick it to the human body because the body can be a little sweaty. There are experiments that you can do at home with iron-fortified breakfast cereal — which does actually contain iron — and a magnet where you can actually attract the iron to the magnet. Yet, even if you eat a lot of breakfast cereal you do not become magnetic. The vaccine is not and cannot cause you to become magnetic.

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