Thursday, May. 20, 2021
Are COVID-19 vaccines self-spreading?
COVID-19 vaccines enter the body through an administered dose; they can't be passed between people.
An online article makes the claim that COVID-19 vaccines spread, "infecting the unvaccinated with chemical particulates." The article cites a story published by the Bulletin website and magazine in September 2020 about self-spreading vaccine research. But the Bulletin story says nothing about COVID-19 vaccines. In fact, when the Bulletin story was published, no COVID-19 vaccine was available in the United States.
Responding to claims that COVID-19 vaccines are self-spreading, the Bulletin said its story was being "misused, without our knowledge, to further an utterly false conspiracy theory about highly effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines."
According to the CDC, people who get a COVID-19 shot cannot "shed" or release vaccine components. None of the vaccines authorized in the U.S. have a live virus, making shedding impossible.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Scientists are working on vaccines that spread like a disease. What could possibly go wrong?
- Centers for Disease Control Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines
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