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COVID-19 Resources: Myths & Facts

Check back weekly for new updates.

Misinformation and Disinformation

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Highline College and the Highline College Library have worked hard to combat misinformation and disinformation regarding COVID-19. Part of this involves you getting accurate information about your health. Slowing the spread of these myths help with slowing the spread of the virus.

Definitions

Misinformation is "incorrect or misleading information." From: Merriam-Webster

Disinformation is "false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth." From: Merriam-Webster 

Myths about the COVID-19 Vaccines:

 

Myth: The vaccines are made from aborted fetuses or fetal cell lines

Fact: There are no fetal cells in the COVID-19 vaccines.

Research related to this myth: 

Myth: The vaccine is not halal or kosher and is therefore haram.

Fact: The four COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use in the U.S. and Europe -  produced by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson — do not contain pork products.

Research related to this myth: 

Myth: The vaccine is the Mark of the Beast and against my beliefs

Fact: COVID-19 vaccines are not "the mark of the beast." 

Research related to this myth: 

Myth: The COVID-19 Vaccine Changes Your DNA

Fact: COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way.

Research related to this myth: 

Myth: The COVID-19 Vaccine Can Cause Infertility

Fact: The COVID-19 vaccines do not cause infertility.

Research related to this myth: 

 

Myth: Ingredients in the vaccine are toxic and can poison me

Fact: The amounts of ingredients in vaccines are very small. Vaccines are tested and go through rigorous and lengthy scientific trials as well as certification processes for safety.

Research related to this myth: 

Myth: The Omicron variant: sorting fact from myth

Fact: There are some differences between Delta and Omicron variants.

Research related to the myth:

Myth: If I’ve already had COVID-19, I don’t need a vaccine

Fact: Natural immunity to reinfection may not last. Reinfection is possible.

Research related to the myth:

Myth: The COVID-19 Vaccine’s Development Was Dangerously Rushed

Fact: The paperwork for the clinical trials was fast-tracked but the research on the patients was well-executed and not fast-tracked.

From: Dr. Andrew Badley, an infectious diseases specialist and head of Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 Research Task Force.

Research related to this myth: 

Myth: The vaccine requirement violates the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who object to work requirements based on religious beliefs that are sincerely held

Fact: Employees need to request an exception. If an employer shows that it cannot reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs, practices, or observances without undue hardship on its operations, the employer is not required to grant the accommodation. 

Research related to this myth: