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Corona and the vaccination: Fact check on the vaccines - From infertility to genetic modification

2021-01-16T19:43:43.849Z


Finally there are suitable means in the fight against the coronavirus in the form of various vaccines. But trust in them is sometimes low. An overview of myths and facts.


Finally there are suitable means in the fight against the coronavirus in the form of various vaccines.

But trust in them is sometimes low.

An overview of myths and facts.

  • The

    corona virus still

    has Germany under control.

  • With the newly developed

    vaccines

    there is now a way out of the pandemic.

  • However, false claims on the Internet often lead to a low

    willingness to vaccinate

    .

Munich

- The

vaccination

against the coronavirus is a hotly debated topic in Germany.

Many people are unsure whether to get vaccinated.

Which is fired

Impfskepsis

by numerous allegations and myths that are spread on YouTube or in social media.

That is why experts and politicians keep demanding: Only with education, the

willingness to vaccinate can be

promoted.

So here is a

fact check

on a few of the most common vaccination myths.

Corona vaccination myths: infertility due to the new vaccine

Claim:

The

corona vaccines

could

cause

infertility

in women

.

Not correct!

- The claim probably arose because there was an alleged similarity between the

coronavirus

spike protein

and to give syncytin-1 to the body's own protein.

Syncytin-1 is responsible for the formation of the placenta in women of childbearing potential, through which the unborn child is supplied with nutrients.

It is therefore claimed that the

vaccination

also paralyzes Syncytin-1 and thus prevents the placenta from forming.

However, there is no particular similarity between the two proteins, so "that a cross-reaction of the

vaccine

is basically impossible," said Annette Beck-Sickinger, head of the research group for biochemistry and bioorganic chemistry at the University of Leipzig, of the

Freie Presse

.

Lars Dölken, Professor of Virology and Immunobiology at the University of Würzburg, told the German Press Agency: Even if both proteins show similarities, one cannot conclude that the body's defenses against the

coronavirus

also attack the syncytin-1 protein.

However, should there actually be a reaction, then

Covid disease

would also have

a harmful effect on pregnancy, said Dölken.

Because the body forms the same defense mechanisms in the event of an infection as after a

vaccination

.

In studies on

Sars-CoV-2

, however, no increased number of miscarriages or complications were found.

Corona vaccination myths: The vaccine could change human genes

Claim:

An

mRNA vaccination

leads to gene changes.

That is impossible!

- Unlike

the flu

vaccination,

for example

, which consists of dead or weakened viruses or parts thereof, the vaccines from Biontech and Moderna work via what is known as

mRNA

.

The m stands for messenger and RNA stands for ribonucleic acid.

During the

vaccination,

no dead

Sars-CoV-2 pathogens are

injected, but only “building instructions” for components of the virus - the messenger molecule

mRNA

.

Based on these instructions, the body's own cells can produce parts of the virus envelope protein (spike protein) themselves.

In the event of a later infection, the immune system can then immediately recognize the protein of the virus and fight it.

Some people are now afraid that the

mRNA will

penetrate into the cell nucleus and change the DNA there.

But that is impossible due to the different chemical structure of the two.

In addition, the

mRNA

absorbed

with the

vaccination

does not even reach the cell nuclei in which the genetic material is stored in the form of DNA.

The messenger molecules only migrate into the cell plasma, where they are read and then rapidly broken down - so quickly that it was long considered impossible to use them therapeutically at all.

A recently published study from America found that in particularly rare cases of a very strong

corona infection

, small bits of genetic material of the virus could penetrate the DNA.

The study has not yet been reviewed by independent researchers.

“However, it will be completely ruled out that the

RNA vaccine will be

rewritten and integrated in DNA,” emphasized Joachim Denner from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) with regard to the US study.

Corona vaccination myths: people died after vaccination

Claim:

Six people died from the

Biontech vaccine

during the test runs

.

Not correct!

- Between the end of April and mid-November 2020, 43,448 people took part in the decisive phase 3 study by Biontech.

In fact, six test subjects died during this time - but not from the

vaccination

.

"All deaths represent events that occur at a similar rate in the general population of the age groups in which they occurred," writes the FDA, the agency responsible for US approval of the drug.

The European approval authority EMA also sees

"no connection" between the cases and the

vaccination study

: "Other

previous illnesses

were more likely to be the

cause of death

."

Four of the deceased participants came from the so-called comparison group.

So the group that was only

injected with

a

placebo

.

They died of age-typical diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.

One subject from the

vaccine group

suffered

a heart attack

about two months after being

vaccinated

.

The last dead person had already had numerous previous illnesses.

This also confirms the assumption of Lothar Wieler, President of the Robert Koch Institute.

He said it was statistically likely that "people will

die

in the temporal context of the

vaccination

" because initially only the vulnerable groups would be vaccinated.

To date (January 16, 2021), more than 1,000,000 people in Germany have been

vaccinated

with the first

dose

.

Ten people have died so far in connection with this.

However, Brigitte Keller-Stanislawski from the Paul Ehrlich Institute says: "Based on the data that we have, we assume that the patients died of their

underlying disease

- in a coincidental time connection with the

vaccination

."

Corona vaccination myths: Rapid approval makes vaccination unsafe

Claim:

The rapid approval and novelty of the

mRNA vaccine

make the preparation unsafe.

Not correct!

- Only in the USA and Great Britain was there a so-called

emergency license

.

However, conditional marketing authorization has been granted in Europe.

This process involves more extensive testing and manufacturers have greater responsibility for the safety of their product.

In addition, due to the tense pandemic situation, the so-called

rolling review process

was used.

This means that the manufacturers were able to submit initial reports on safety and effectiveness to the testing authority while the vaccine was being developed.

So at the end of the test phase, there was no need to start from scratch.

This makes the process faster, but not less secure: “A

rolling review

and an accelerated assessment process do not mean that there will be compromises in terms of the care taken during testing,” writes the

Paul Ehrlich Institute responsible

for

vaccines

and

drugs

.

Research on

mRNA vaccines is also

not new.

Research has been going on for three decades.

For example, funds should be developed for cancer therapy and for

vaccination

against rabies, Zika and seasonal flu.

The German companies CureVac and Biontech have also been working on the medical use of

mRNA

for a very long time

.

The race in the fight against the

corona pandemic

has

now helped

vaccines

achieve a breakthrough.

(tel / dpa)

List of rubric lists: © Matthias Stolt / imago images

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-01-16

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