Photo by Victor Candiani

Debunking Myths:

"Does the COVID vaccine alter your DNA?"

  • A single vaccine database found a link between the Pfizer/BioNTech the new updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine and ischemic strokes in people over 65 who got the vaccine. The numbers were out of 550,000 seniors over 65 yo, 130 people had a stroke within 3 weeks of taking the Pfizer vaccine. This translates to 24 cases of stroke per 100,000 vaccines given.  No one died thankfully. This rate of stroke diagnosis is actually below the general population of incidence of stroke which is 38.2 cases per 100,000 for individuals without a COVID-19 diagnosis. 
  • This was the only data base that showed this association. Other vaccine databases internationally, as well as much larger US databases – the VA, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) maintained by the CDC and the FDA, and other agencies that monitor reactions of vaccines –  found no higher likelihood of strokes linked to the Pfizer bivalent vaccine.
  •  Plus don’t forget, the risk of stroke from getting COVID is twice as high for COVID-19 patients when compared to the gen pop who never had COVID  
  • Finally, the updated vaccine works! Dta from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health shows that, compared to the original monovalent boosters,the current bivalent COVID booster is better against recent Omicron variant’s BA.4.6/BA.5 and BQ.1/BQ.1.1 strains in preventing hospitalization and death.Booster effectiveness peaked at approximately 4 weeks after receipt of the booster and waned afterward.   

Debunked By

Dr. Melissa Clarke

Physician and Health Educator Dr. Melissa Clarke, a Harvard-educated Emergency Medicine physician with over 30 years of healthcare experience, has been on the frontlines in addressing health literacy and misinformation.