There are many stories and rumors of what the new COVID vaccine will actually accomplish. Some say that it is meant to stop the spread of COVID, while others say that it is not meant to stop the spread, but only make the virus less harmful if someone does get it. Today, we will debunk false rumors and confirm true ones on what the actual purpose of the vaccine is. 

Many articles are claiming that the new vaccine will not prevent the spread, but it will only prevent the severity of the virus, and herd immunity will be needed to defeat this virus. However, this is in fact not true. The media has put several different ideas of what the vaccine will accomplish, but it is important to make sure one is doing credible research. Camille Khong (10) comments on the portrayal of the vaccine by saying “I’ve seen a lot of different perspectives of the vaccine. Some are afraid and some are excited to take it. I believe that because so many false accusations are arising, people are afraid. I think it is important to educate yourself in order to separate facts from myths”.  After doing research from several reliable sources like Stanford Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we can come to the conclusion that this new vaccine will ultimately prevent people from getting the virus in multiple ways.

The main way the vaccine will defeat the virus is by preparing your immune system to detect the virus. According to Stanford Medicine, if the immune system identifies symptoms of the virus, it excites the immune system to recognize that it is COVID, and then retaliates against the virus. When the virus is shot into your shoulder, it gets the attention of the front-line immune sentinels in your body called dentricial cells. These cells are spread throughout the body and are always on the lookout for troubling signs. The vaccine will cause the dentrical cells to specifically look for signs of COVID and kill it off as quickly as possible. 

There are many concerns around the fact that one might actually get COVID just from getting the vaccine. However, CDC proves this to be not true. In fact, getting the vaccine will actually do the exact opposite of that. These suspicions are understandable since some side effects of the vaccine are side effects of COVID, such as a fever. These symptoms are normal for when the body is building up protection against the virus. However, they do not relate to getting the actual virus whatsoever. 

It is important to do research using credible sources when making claims about topics. Misleading information can be very harmful, especially when it is influencing many people in an important situation like the COVID vaccine.  Research can conclude many myths of the virus that are not true, and ultimately lead to the fact that the vaccine will in fact prevent the spread of COVID.