In the United States, these include the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), The Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), the Post-License Rapid Immunization Safety Monitoring (PRISM), and the Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Project (CISA). Several systems help us monitor vaccine safety. The vaccines are still being monitored for any safety concerns or patterns being seen that can risk human well-being.

As a result, long-term side effects and reasoning for any side effects are not yet fully known. The COVID-19 vaccines, however, are relatively new. There is no scientific evidence available that suggests that spike proteins created in our bodies from the COVID-19 vaccines are toxic or damaging. Including both first and second doses and boosters, more than 608 million doses of mRNA vaccines have been given in the country. alone, more than 265 million people have received at least one dose of a vaccine against COVID-19. When the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 were first developed, thousands of people underwent clinical trials over several months to understand if there were any side effects or risks associated with the vaccines.

FDA and the World Health Organization – to meet safety and efficacy criteria. Vaccines go through very rigorous evaluation using standards set by governments and international agencies – including the U.S. CDC, for instance, refers to the spike protein made from the vaccine as harmless. These concerns about the spike proteins produced from COVID-19 vaccines have been addressed by major public health entities. While traveling through the bloodstream, there is no evidence of spike proteins generated by vaccines causing harm.Ī very tiny dose of the vaccine does make it to the bloodstream (about 1%), but is destroyed completely once it reaches the liver by the enzymes there. This is because spike proteins have a transmembrane anchor region that leaves it stuck to the surface of the cell where it was produced (by the muscle in the injection site). Research shows that spike proteins produced as a result of COVID-19 vaccines primarily stay stuck to the surface of the cells around the vaccine's injection site, and are not known to wander around to other parts of the body. mRNA vaccines are safe to get during pregnancy, and scientists, researchers, and doctors recommend that pregnant people get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are eligible.Ī third misleading claim about spike proteins produced as a result of vaccines is that they travel in our bloodstreams. Research has proven that these are two completely different proteins. More specifically, these claims state that COVID-19 spike proteins can cause a woman’s immune system to attack a different type of spike protein that is essential for placental health during pregnancy. Researchers at both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were working on mRNA vaccines for cancer before the COVID-19 pandemic and were able to use the experience they had with the technology to develop the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that are available today.Ī second false claim about the harms of spike proteins is that they can affect women’s fertility. In contrast, researchers and scientists are hopeful that mRNA technology can be used to treat and prevent cancer. There is no evidence that mRNA vaccines or the spike proteins produced by them in the body can affect our body’s DNA in that way or cause cancer. The idea that vaccines could affect DNA repair is concerning because sustained, constant damage to DNA can lead to development of cancers. The study was retracted later in the same year due to concerns about invalid methods. One study published in 2021 made this claim that continues to be referenced. There is no evidence that mRNA vaccines or the spike proteins produced by those vaccines in the human body can interfere with DNA repair mechanisms. One of the false claims about the harms of spike proteins is that they can damage the body’s DNA repair mechanisms (a set of processes through which a cell can correct damage to DNA molecules). These spike proteins from COVID-19 vaccination play an important role in training the immune system to protect the body from COVID-19.įalse claims about the toxicity of spike proteins from COVID-19 vaccination often come from the misinterpretation of studies, and fail to take into account how spike proteins from COVID-19 vaccination behave differently than the spike proteins from natural COVID-19 infection. The spike proteins produced in the body from COVID-19 vaccination are widely considered safe, whether from mRNA vaccines (e.g., Moderna, Pfizer) or viral vector vaccines (e.g., AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson).

Shedding protein spikes