Edward-Elmhurst Health: COVID-19 vaccine myths and misconceptions

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be unpredictable and, at times, confusing.

But the evidence scientists have gathered over the last two years can help people understand how to stay safe and avoid serious illness or death.

The COVID-19 vaccine is the safest and smartest protection someone can have from COVID-19, but there is some misinformation about it.

Vaccine myth: The Pfizer vaccine isn’t FDA-approved.

In December 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for people age 16 and older. That emergency use authorization (EUA) has been expanded over the last year to include anyone age 5 and older.

In August 2021, the FDA officially approved the Pfizer vaccine for ages 16 and older. As part of the official approval, the agency reported that the vaccine would be “marketed as Comirnaty.”

Before vaccines are officially approved, they’re known by the name of the company that created them. Once they’re licensed for use in the U.S. by the FDA, most vaccines are given a name. Even the Varicella Virus Vaccine Live (chickenpox vaccine) has a name: VARIVAX.

Pfizer simply named their officially approved vaccine Comirnaty. It’s still the same vaccine that was approved by the FDA and is used under the EUA for people age 5 to 16.

Vaccine myth: More breakthrough cases mean vaccines don’t work.

This myth has been given more credence in recent months as the omicron variant has ramped up in the U.S. Vaccinated people are getting infected. They likely can spread it to others while they’re most contagious. Therefore, the vaccine isn’t doing a lot of good, according to the myth.

A few key facts debunk this myth:

• While the vaccines’ protection against infection is not as high with newer variants, especially omicron, if you are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and received a booster, the chances of catching omicron are 70% lower than if you are not vaccinated. If you are vaccinated but have not received a booster, the chances of catching omicron are 30% lower compared to being unvaccinated. The protection against severe infection is even stronger, 70% reduction if vaccinated, but not boosted, and expected to be much stronger if boosted.
• Severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring hospitalization predominantly occurs in those who have not been vaccinated or who are immunocompromised.
• More vaccinated people are being infected during this omicron wave, not because the vaccines don’t work, but because omicron is highly contagious and more people overall are being infected.

While those who are vaccinated and infected with omicron can still feel sick, it is typically short lived and not likely to develop into pneumonia. However, the highly transmissible omicron variant can still be transmitted to others, including the most vulnerable.

Anyone, including vaccinated people, with symptomatic COVID-19 should consider themselves contagious and follow the recommended quarantine procedure laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What's the point?

For the unvaccinated, COVID-19 can be extremely dangerous. For those who are up to date with all COVID-19 vaccines, not immunocompromised, young and without other health conditions, it may seem like COVID-19 isn’t a big deal.

But even if someone doesn’t get severely ill, they may pass the virus on to someone else who is vulnerable and requires hospitalization. The rapid spread of the omicron variant has resulted in hospitals beds filling up, ICUs reaching capacity and an increasing number of COVID-19 deaths.

Get more information at EEHealth.org/services/coronavirus.