“Anti-vaxxers” is a term used to describe a group of people who do not believe in taking vaccines. Recently, anti-vaxxers have been in the news for spreading false information about the vaccine to convince others not to take it as well. I constantly see the same criticisms these people put out repeated over and over again. Personally, I have one family member who is still unsure about taking the vaccine and you might know someone too. Here are some ways you can respond to the same comments anti-vaxxers make.
“The vaccine alters your DNA”
This conspiracy was probably brought out because people read that the vaccines were mRNA injected vaccines, and they completely twisted the words. What an mRNA vaccine means is that the genetic code of the COVID-19 virus is injected into our bodies, so our immune system can learn how to make antibodies against the virus. If we were to be exposed to COVID our bodies would then know how to fight the virus thanks to these antibodies. It is impossible for our DNA to be altered. DNA is stored in the nucleus of our cells and genetic modification (DNA altering) will only happen if foreign DNA were to be directly injected into the nucleus of our cells, and vaccines do not do that at all. The purpose of the vaccine, and all vaccines, is to teach our immune systems how to recognize foreign pathogens that infect our bodies. To put it in simple terms, the mRNA vaccines are basically an instructional manual for our immune system to fight off COVID.
“I don’t trust the vaccine because it was created too fast”
This is true. The vaccine was created in less than a year whereas the average time vaccines are created is typically 10-15 years. So, one might be weary that the COVID-19 vaccines were developed so quickly. However, the main reason why vaccine development takes so long is because not many people have been exposed to a certain disease and many people do not want to partake in a trial. Participating for a trail is unpaid and can be daunting because you are first in line to try something completely new, and you cannot sue if you become fatally ill. Therefore, vaccine development does take a long time. But, surprisingly, so many people wanted to partake in the COVID-19 trials because they understood the severity of this disease and its impact on the world. This pandemic was frightening to a lot of people, and they simply wanted to do their part to speed up the vaccine process because that is the only way we can fight the disease. Also, since the virus ravaged many communities it was easier to study how effective they were. The two vaccine developers, Pfizer and Moderna, also saw by the end of phase 2 of their trials their vaccines already had a sufficient enough efficacy rate, so they began to mass produce by phase 3 to get ready for emergency use authorization.
“The government can’t force me to take it”
This is also true. But it is important to realize that not being vaccinated puts you at greater risk of catching the disease. Why would someone want to risk getting the disease than take a vaccine to protect you? It is also important to realize that vaccines will probably be mandatory to go places once the country fully reopens up again. For instance, Staples Center is opening up and they are requiring those to be fully vaccinated in order to attend. Travel airlines are also anticipating showing proof of vaccination before boarding a flight. Many other companies and places may also join in and require proof of vaccination. Would you rather argue with customer service about your “right” to not take the vaccine, or simply just get it and avoid that fight?
These are some of the arguments I have heard repeatedly by anti-vaxxers. There are also many articles online that you can send them to debunk their conspiracies. The vaccines are safe and are the only way we can get out of this pandemic and return to some type of normalcy.