Why Myths and Misconceptions About COVID-19 Vaccines Abound

Human beings have an uncanny tendency to believe all sorts of nonsense. P.T. Barnum's famous quip, "There's a sucker born every minute" is probably too charitable because the likelihood is more like there are three suckers born every second (the current global birth rate is about 4.5 per second). This unfortunate propensity most people have to buy into all manner of myths and misconceptions is especially concerning during this time of the highly contagious and deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are a few of the most ridiculous but alarmingly common beliefs about COVID-19 that are based on erroneous ideas, misinformation and a fundamental lack of medical and scientific understanding.

Myth 1: Masks Do Not Protect People from COVID-19

The absurd claim that masks are useless in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and for personal protection against the virus is a very dangerous misconception. Masks are a physical barrier that, due to the immutable laws of physics, will absolutely reduce the concentration of viral particles entering one's respiratory system. And that is an essential aspect of reducing transmission because a critical amount of viral particles is necessary to cause infection; the so-called infectious dose.

It is beyond debate that the physical barrier of a mask does without a doubt block the passage of the vast majority of virus particles in a breath, sneeze, and cough (e.g., Wang, Xu & Huang, 2020). If you have your doubts, pour some water (a tablespoon or two) on the outside of a mask or the inside of the mask (ideally a KN95). You’ll notice the water collecting on the outside of the mask with hardly any moisture passing through to the inside. Similarly, if you pour some water in the mask, you’ll see it pooling in the mask with hardly any moisture passing to its outside. And a molecule of water is only as big as three atoms; vanishingly small when compared to a single COVID-19 virus particle, which is composed of millions of atoms. (Of course, other factors come into play with this example, such as electromagnetic forces, but the basic idea is valid.)

Since it is an established fact that the vast majority of COVID-19 infections are due to transmission of respiratory droplets containing viral particles, and this simple DIY experiment proves that even water droplets are dramatically blocked by masks, it is preposterous to assert that masks do not radically decrease viral transmission by greatly reducing the amount of virus passing through them to well below the typical infectious dose.

Myth 2: Vaccines Cause COVID-19

Simply put, it is beyond debate that vaccines for COVID-19 are incredibly safe and effective in preventing serious illness. It is ludicrous to claim they actually cause it. In fact, current data shows unequivocally that almost 99 percent of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths are occurring in unvaccinated people.

While it is true that some people have reactions to vaccines, almost all of them are mild. What’s more, when tens or hundreds of millions of people receive a medication, there will inevitably be some freakishly rare reactions and even deaths. But a fair number of common over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen, aspirin, and even Epson salts have resulted in deaths. And, as is the case with vaccines, most of these unfortunate, yet exceedingly rare, events are due to severe allergic reactions — in the case of vaccines, an outcome that is easily prevented by brief monitoring after administration.

Myth 3: Vaccines Contain Micro-Tracking Technology

The notion that the government and pharmaceutical industry has conspired to implant tracking devices in vaccine recipients is simply laughable. Just think about it. Our government was utterly incapable of building a simple wall. Yet it has the resources and wherewithal to create an injectable, nanotechnology tracking system that was manufactured on a vast scale, integrated into a massive vaccine rollout, and has been sinisterly administered to more than 150 million vaccine recipients? Beyond the astounding absurdity of this bit of anti-vaccine rhetoric is an amusing irony. Because people who are afraid of being tracked and monitored by the government but who have smartphones are already on the government's radar. No?

Homo sapiens May Be a Misnomer

In my view, these and other outrageously preposterous anti-vaccination myths and misconceptions are due to an appalling amount of scientific illiteracy and, even worse, taking pride in scientific denial. As is reflected by the refusal of many people to acknowledge the increasingly devastating impacts of anthropogenic climate disruption.

My theory that tries to explain this sad and deeply alarming state of affairs is that human beings still have Paleolithic and Pleistocene era physiology and intelligence, are mostly led by Dark Ages and medieval institutions, and yet now possess almost god-like technology.

It is this latter fact that seems to support our species' scientific classification as Homo sapiens — “wise man.” But, in general, that classification seems to be a misnomer. Why would people choose to ignore scientific realities and act in personally reckless, socially irresponsible, and globally destructive ways? Perhaps because the prevalence of superstition, fear, denial, greed, shortsightedness, and ignorance are integral aspects of our species? This is why I propose a different, seemingly much more fitting classification for our kind, Homo stultus — “stupid man.”

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I am not optimistic but maybe one day humans will rise to a level of awareness and enlightenment that would seem necessary to prevent us from rushing headlong into preventable, personal tragedies and engineering ecological and environmental devastation. At that time, we may indeed be considered Homo sapiens. Until then, however, our species seems more aptly called Homo stultus. Because how can one that acts in personally destructive, socially harmful and globally disastrous ways be truly “wise?”

Furthermore, is it wisdom that has many believing the Earth is only 6500 years old; evolution is bogus; the Apollo program was a hoax; and there is a cabal of powerful, former and current politicians who are masterminding a child sex trafficking ring? And is it wise to believe the most closely scrutinized presidential election in the history of our country is a lie and was stolen from its real winner? Also, how wise is it to confuse Facebook with an authoritative source of medical and scientific information?

But perhaps most telling of all is the fact that humans deliberately won't band together and join forces in the face of a lethal, planet-wide threat. If ever there was a time for pulling together as a nation, a global community, and a single species, this is it. COVID-19 does not recognize national borders or social boundaries. It will infect and possibly kill anyone regardless of nationality, race, religion, gender, sex, age, education, wealth, social status, or political affiliation. Yet we are still divided and actually fighting one another over the existential threat of COVID-19 instead of fighting the actual threat.

So, what do you think? Homo sapiens or Homo stultus? You decide.

Remember: Think well, Act well, Feel well, Be well!

Copyright 2021 Clifford N. Lazarus, Ph.D. This post is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional assistance or personal mental health treatment by a qualified clinician.

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