Proposals to ban mRNA vaccines aren’t just rooted in misinformation – they risk further politicizing science and blocking research and access to future lifesaving medical breakthroughs. mRNA technology is already being explored to treat cancers, rare diseases, and many infectious diseases including HIV, influenza, and rabies (5,81,82).
We’ve tackled some of the most persistent myths in this post – each one is unpacked in a short, shareable slide. But this isn’t our first time covering these claims. Many have already been explored in greater detail (some more than once!). You can find a list of deeper dives in the sources linked.
5 common myths about COVID-19 vaccines | ScienceUpFirst | October 2024
How COVID-19 vaccines were made so quickly | ScienceUpFirst & Vox | February 2021
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are not going to change your DNA | ScienceUpFirst | Sept. 2021
Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and cardiac events | ScienceUpFirst | March 2024
There are NOT more people dying because of the COVID-19 vaccine. | ScienceUpFirst | Mars 2023
“Turbo cancer” is not real. COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause cancer. | ScienceUpFirst | April 2024
How does the COVID vaccine affect menstruation? | ScienceUpFirst | August 2022
Let’s talk COVID-19 and fertility | ScienceUpFirst | July 2021
Get the facts about Fertility and COVID-19. | ScienceUpFirst | April 2022
What is “Immunity Debt” and is it a real thing? | ScienceUpFirst | November 2022
Vaccines make the immune system stronger | ScienceUpFirst | September 2021
Can the COVID-19 vaccines cause autoimmune disorders? | ScienceUpFirst | Dec. 2023
Let’s talk about spike proteins | ScienceUpFirst | June 2021
Misinformation continues to spread about Spike Proteins | ScienceUpFirst | December 2021
You asked, we answered: April 2024 | ScienceUpFirst | May 2024
Sources
- The long road to mRNA vaccines | CIHR | October 2021
- mRNA vaccines, explained | Vox
- Understanding COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines | August 2021
- mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases: principles, delivery and clinical translation | Nature Reviews Drug Discovery | August 2021
- MRNA Vaccines, Once a Trump Boast, Now Face Attacks From Some in GOP | KFF Health News | March 2025
- COVID-19 mRNA vaccines | Government of Canada | September 2022
- Vaccine development and approval in Canada | Government of Canada | April 2021
- How Did We Get COVID-19 Vaccines So Fast? | Vaccine Bulletin | February 2021
- COVID-19 vaccine safety: Report on side effects following immunization | Government of Canada | January 2024
- Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS) | Government of Canada | February 2025
- Surveillance | Canadian Paediatric Society | June 2024
- The facts about COVID-19 vaccines | Government of Canada | May 2022
- Statement from the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health (CCMOH): Update on COVID-19 Vaccines and the Risk of Myocarditis and Pericarditis | Government of Canada | October 2021
- Myocarditis and Pericarditis After mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination: 2024 Status and Management Update | Canadian Journal of Cardiology | September 2024
- Vaccine Safety Systems | CDC
- COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Surveillance | FDA | January 2025
- Safety of COVID-19 vaccines | European Medicines Agency (EMA)
- Causality assessment of an adverse event following immunization (AEFI): user manual for the revised WHO classification, 2nd ed., 2019 update | WHO | April 2021
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccine Safety | CDC | January 2025
- Evaluation of mortality attributable to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration using national level data from Qatar | Nature Communications | January 2023
- COVID-19 vaccine doses administered | Government of Canada | June 2024
- Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome: Findings from the Advisory Committee on Causality Assessment | Government of Canada | May 2024
- From DNA to RNA – Molecular Biology of the Cell | NCBI Bookshelf
- Myths & Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC | August 2024
- What are mRNA vaccines and how do they work? | MedlinePlus Genetics
- Messenger RNA-based vaccines: Past, present, and future directions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic | Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews | October 2021
- The dawn of mRNA vaccines: The COVID-19 case | Journal of Controlled Release | March 2021
- Swedish study on COVID vaccines and DNA misinterpreted | AP News | July 2022
- No, COVID mRNA Vaccines Won’t Damage Your DNA | Scientific American | January 2024
- Fact Check: mRNA vaccines do not turn humans into ‘hybrids’ or alter recipients’ DNA | Reuters | April 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccine Basics | CDC | September 2024
- COVID-19 Vaccines Have Not Been Shown to Alter DNA, Cause Cancer | FactCheck.org | October 2023
- False claims persist about COVID-19 vaccine-linked “turbo cancers” | Public Health Communications Collaborative | August 2023
- COVID-19 Vaccines Have Not Been Shown to Cause ‘Turbo Cancer’ | FactCheck.org | August 2023
- Fact Check: No evidence COVID-19 vaccines cause ‘turbo cancer’ | Reuters | December 2022
- Good Question: Why Are Some Cancers More Aggressive Than Others? | CBS Minnesota | July 2017
- Plasmid-gate: Debunking the DNA contamination claims in mRNA vaccines | Global Vaccine Data Network | October 2024
- COVID-19 Vaccines and People with Cancer | National Cancer Institute | October 2023
- There is no evidence linking COVID-19 vaccines with diseases like cancer or HIV | Health Desk | October 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccines in People with Cancer | American Cancer Society | September 2024
- Fact Check: No evidence COVID-19 vaccines have caused increase in cancers, contrary to claims made on social media | Reuters | February 2022
- Fact Check: No evidence COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer | Reuters | November 2021
- Response to Dr. Ladapo’s letter | U.S. Food & Drug Administration | December 2023
- Residual DNA in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines is documented, isn’t associated with genome modification or cancer, contrary to claim by Robert Malone | Science Feedback | November 2023
- Autoimmune response found in many with COVID-19 | National Institutes of Health (NIH) | September 2021
- Full article: Emergence of Post COVID-19 Vaccine Autoimmune Diseases: A Single Center Study | Infection and Drug Resistance | February 2023
- New‐onset autoimmune phenomena post‐COVID‐19 vaccination | Immunology on Wiley Online Library | December 2021
- SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines decouple anti-viral immunity from humoral autoimmunity | Nature Communications on PubMed Central | March 2023
- Long-term risk of autoimmune diseases after mRNA-based SARS-CoV2 vaccination in a Korean, nationwide, population-based cohort study | Nature Communications | July 2024
- Insights into new-onset autoimmune diseases after COVID-19 vaccination | Autoimmunity Reviews on PubMed Central | April 2023
- Risk of autoimmune diseases following COVID-19 and the potential protective effect from vaccination: a population-based cohort study | eClinicalMedicine | September 2023
- COVID‐19 vaccine triggers autoimmune disease? Possible mechanism and current evidence | International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases | November 2023
- Prospective Cohort Study of COVID-19 Vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 Infection, and Fertility | American Journal of Epidemiology | January 2022
- The impact of COVID-19 vaccines on fertility-A systematic review and meta-analysis | Vaccine on ScienceDirect | October 2022
- Does mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine influence patients’ performance during IVF-ET cycle? | Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology | May 2021
- Does the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine and its serum IgG levels affect fertility treatments and obstetric outcomes? An observational cohort study | Clinical and Experimental Medicine | April 2024
- In Vitro Fertilization and Early Pregnancy Outcomes After Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination | Obstetrics & Gynecology | April 2022
- Ovarian follicular function is not altered by SARS–CoV-2 infection or BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination | Human Reproduction | September 2021
- Exposure of Ovaries to COVID-19 Vaccination DOes Not Impair Fertility | Fertility and Sterility | September 2021
- COVID-19 infection and vaccine have no impact on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome | Scientific Reports | December 2022
- COVID-19 Vaccination Does Not Affect Reproductive Health Parameters in Men | Frontiers in Public Health | February 2022
- Sperm Parameters Before and After COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination | JAMA | June 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccine Questions and Answers for Healthcare Professionals | CANVax
- Investigating trends in those who experience menstrual bleeding changes after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination | Science Advances | July 2022
- Association between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and healthcare contacts for menstrual disturbance and bleeding in women before and after menopause: nationwide, register based cohort study | The BMJ | May 2023
- Association Between Menstrual Cycle Length and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination | Obstetrics & Gynecology | April 2022
- Covid-19 vaccination and menstrual cycle length in the Apple Women’s Health Study | npj Digital Medicine | November 2022
- Effect of COVID-19 vaccination on the timing and flow of menstrual periods in two cohorts | Frontiers in Reproductive Health | July 2022
- COVID-19 vaccination and menstrual cycle characteristics: A prospective cohort study | Vaccine on PubMed Central | June 2023
- Explainer on COVID19 vaccine and fertility | Summary of current studies made by Viki Male, Senior Lecturer in Reproductive Immunology at Imperial College London | Last update July 2024
- A prospective cohort study of preconception COVID-19 vaccination and miscarriage | Human Reproduction | December 2023
- Immune System and Vaccines | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Questions & Answers| Immunize Canada
- Explaining How Vaccines Work | CDC | August 2024
- Spike Protein Behavior| Science | May 2021
- Circulating Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Vaccine Antigen Detected in the Plasma of mRNA-1273 Vaccine Recipients| Clinical Infectious Diseases | February 2022
- Spike Protein Circulating in the Vaccinated: What does it mean? | Deplatform Disease | May 2021
- SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine design enabled by prototype pathogen preparedness | Nature | August 2020
- mRNA vaccine spike protein differs from viral version | Scope by Stanford Medicine | July 2023
- SARS-CoV-2 and the spike protein in endotheliopathy | Trends in Microbiology on ScienceDirect | January 2024
- Trump administration at ‘war’ with mRNA technology: scientists alarmed vaccine skeptics could kill research | The Guardian | March 2025
- States push fight against mRNA vaccines | AXIOS | March 2025
Share our original Bluesky Post!
View our original Instagram Post!
