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FACT BRIEF

Do COVID-19 vaccines create new virus variants?

By Ali Swenson
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NO

COVID-19 vaccines reduce the spread of the virus, reducing the likelihood that the virus will mutate to create new variants, according to Dr. Stuart Ray, a professor at Johns Hopkins University's medical school. Scientific evidence also shows many coronavirus variants emerged in the population before vaccines were available.

Experts say new variants likely evolved as a result of prolonged viral infections in the population, not vaccines, which are designed to prevent such infections.

With some viruses, such as dengue virus, scientists have observed a phenomenon called antibody-dependent enhancement, in which antibodies generated by a past infection or a vaccine will bind to a viral pathogen but not neutralize it. This can cause people who have antibodies to experience more severe symptoms if they are infected later. However, this has not occurred with the coronavirus or vaccines to prevent it.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
AP News No evidence COVID-19 vaccines create new virus variants
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The Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.