NSW health experts debunk Covid, vaccination myths spread by anti-vaxxers

Vaccine “shedding”, impotence and downplaying Covid as “just the flu”. NSW’s top health experts debunk some of the biggest Covid myths. Find out the facts.

Nearly everybody knows an anti-vaxxer.

They are the people in our community who reject the official health advice, peddling a variety of weird and wild theories and misinformation about the virus, the vaccine and everything in between about the pandemic.

Professor Peter Collignon.

But now the experts have weighed in, unpicking and debunking the anti-vax movement’s biggest myths.

1. YOU CAN CATCH COVID FROM SOMEONE WHO’S JUST BEEN VACCINATED

A popular conspiracy theory among anti-vaxxers is that people can catch Covid from those who have been vaccinated through “shedding”, where they claim the vaccine infects the recipient and allows them to pass Covid on to others who aren’t vaccinated.

But Australian National University’s infectious diseases expert Professor Peter Collignon says it’s simply not possible.

“You can catch Covid from someone who has been vaccinated if they have also caught the virus, but the implication that (the vaccine recipient) caught the virus from the jab is garbage, just drivel,” Prof Collignon said.

A wild theory believed by anti-vaxxers is that you can catch Covid from someone who has just gotten the vaccine.

“None of the Covid vaccines contain any live Covid-19 cells … they give your body a blueprint of the virus, a road map which contains spike proteins that copy the coating of the virus. This is so the body can create antibodies and white cells are activated in order to kill anything that matches the protein coating if Covid cells enter your body.”

Prof Collignon added: “The only way it could happen is because most of the Covid vaccines don’t give instant protection, it takes 10 days to work. So if a recipient gets the vaccine and then catches Covid before the vaccine is effective, yes it can be an infection risk to you. But you are about nine times less likely to transmit Covid to someone else if you get a vaccine.”

2. COVID VACCINES CAUSE INFERTILITY OR PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS

The myth that Covid vaccines cause infertility has been peddled by sceptics from the beginning of the pandemic, but most recently by US rapper Nicki Minaj, who claimed a relative had become “impotent” and suffered “swollen testicles” after getting the vaccine.

But Liverpool Hospital birthing unit director Dr Gauthami Bhagwanani set the record straight on September 15 at the daily Covid update.

“The vaccine does not increase the risk of miscarriage or structural abnormalities for your baby, it does not affect your fertility. What poses the greatest risk to women and their babies is not the vaccine, it is the Covid-19 infection itself,“ Dr Bhagwanani said.

My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021

“Having Covid-19 while pregnant, you have an increased risk of needing invasive ventilation and you‘re at three to five times increased risk of requiring a preterm delivery. It also doubles your risk of stillbirth.”

Dr Bhagwanani added: “The antibodies you produce after having the vaccination can be passed on to your baby and offer some protection to your baby as well.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is the best thing that you can do to protect your baby in this climate.”

The Australian government and NSW Health recommend the Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccines for women who are pregnant or trying for a baby.

3. HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE AND IVERMECTIN CAN BE USED TO TREAT OR PREVENT COVID

Both malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and livestock parasite treatment Ivermectin have been widely touted as miracle cures for Covid-19 in the anti-vax community.

Believers often cite various studies conducted which supposedly prove the effectiveness of the drugs against the coronavirus in a laboratory.

But there is no clinical proof yet that either medication works well against Covid in the human body, according to Professor Collignon.

Parasite tablet Ivermectin has been heralded as a pioneering Covid treatment by anti-vaxxers despite inadequate research.

“For hydroxychloroquine, the evidence is it isn’t good at preventing getting Covid or being effective at therapy,” he said.

“And for Ivermectin it’s the same, why would a medicine that works against worms work against a virus, it’s a completely different illness.”

Prof Collignon added: “Sometimes there are some breakthroughs, and a few early studies (of both medicines) looked promising, but since many have been disproved to contain fraudulent data … one study doesn’t cut it, we need dozens of studies to prove a medicine works before we put it to market.”

It comes as a man was admitted at Westmead Hospital three weeks ago for overdosing on Ivermectin, which he was reportedly using to treat himself after catching Covid.

“People are taking dosages meant for a horse … there’s a potential here for (Ivermectin) to a lot more harm than good,” Prof Collignon said.

“There’s lots of (Ivermectin) overdoses occurring … you should never take prescription medicine without consulting a medical professional.”

4. THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 400 DEATHS FROM THE VACCINE

Anti-vaxxers claim that more than 400 deaths have been caused by COVID-19 vaccines in Australia, pointing to data from the country’s medicines regulator as supposed proof.

But information on the Therapeutic Goods’ Administration’s website from their latest weekly vaccination report proves that this figure is wrong.

The TGA states that while 535 reports of adverse events causing death were reviewed, a disclaimer online from the medical regulator reads: “An adverse event report does not mean the vaccine is the cause of the adverse event.”

Covid disbelievers also think over 400 deaths resulted from the vaccine.

The September 16 TGA report found that only nine of these deaths were found to be actually linked to Covid immunisation, with eight of these from TTS, the known blood clotting condition which is sometimes caused by the AZ jab.

“These deaths occurred after the first dose of the Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), vaccine 8 were TTS cases and one was a case of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) … the overwhelming majority of deaths reported to the TGA following vaccination occurred in people aged 65 years and older,” The TGA’s most recent weekly vaccination report states.

“Since the beginning of the vaccine rollout to 12 September 2021, over 22.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given.”

That’s one death per 2.5 million doses.

NSW President of the Australian Medical Association Dr Danielle McMullen said: “There’s a lot of talk among anti-vaxxers that the vaccines were experimental or rushed, causing deaths … but really the rest of the science world stopped when Covid began. All the time, energy and money was thrown into Covid vaccine development, creating more resources to develop the vaccines faster.”

Dr McMullen added: “People were queued up in their hundreds volunteering to be part of trials because of the impact of this virus on the world … there was no rush the vaccines went through as much study and trial as any other. But a lot of the bureaucratic red tape which normally holds treatments up was cut because the vaccine was needed, and quickly.”

5. IT’S JUST THE FLU

Despite similar symptoms to influenza, the evidence is firm: Covid and the flu have nothing else in common.

“Covid is a different virus altogether than the flu, we’re seeing much higher death and hospitalisation rates than in a bad flu season,” Dr McMullen said.

“Covid sees up to 10 per cent of people who catch it end up in hospital, flu is nowhere near that, if we had that each year the hospital system wouldn’t cope.

Covid deniers also believe the virus is like a cough or cold because some experience minimal symptoms.

There’s also long Covid, where people get persistent long lasting symptoms like fatigue, heart or lung related issues.”

But for anyone questioning why the flu has suddenly all but disappeared since Covid’s arrival, there’s a simple explanation.

“The remarkable lack of flu has been due to all the Covid measures, social distancing, wearing of masks,” Dr McMullen said.

“Plus flu is harder to catch than Covid, it’s less infectious so it’s no wonder it’s disappeared when there’s little to no opportunity for it to spread. But we don’t know yet what will come, if we’ll get lucky and eradicate it or if we’ll see bad flu seasons again (once restrictions ease much more).”