• Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK WOMEN COME FIRST

Every day we're serving Black women deeply. Come get a plate of goodness! Sign up for daily content and exclusive offers you'll love!

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and that you have read our Privacy Policy
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Health and Wellness

Vax Myths: Debunked

Sponsored By Louisiana Department of Health
Vax Myths: Debunked
Getty Images
By Noel Cody · Updated December 27, 2021

Over the last two years, we have all made maintaining our health and well-being a priority. ESSENCE® and the Louisiana Department of Health are helping to move our communities forward by spreading the word about the COVID-19 vaccination.

Knowing there is a lot of misinformation out there, here are 5 of the top myths circulating—and the real facts from top medical professionals that debunk them.

MYTH: The COVID Vaccine Will Give Me COVID
The short answer here is no, this is a myth. Dr. Victoria Smith, the Associate Medical Director at St. Charles Parish Hospital in Louisiana breaks it down. “There is no live virus in any of the vaccines that are approved for usage in the United States,” she says. “Vaccines work by teaching your body to make protective cells against the virus or any bacteria, they do not give you the actual disease.” After you receive the vaccine, your immune system is able to recognize that it does not belong there and responds to get rid of it. When an immune response begins, antibodies are produced, creating the same response that happens in a natural infection. If you want to find out more about how these mRNA vaccines work, click here to check it out.

MYTH: There is a Micro-Chip in the Vaccine
A rumor has been circulating that there is a chip in the vaccine that is designed to track you. According to Dr. Eboni Price-Haywood, Medical Director of Ochsner Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research, the scientists who created the vaccine did not do so to make a chip to track the population. “No, there is no micro-chip in the vaccine,” says Dr. Price-Haywood. “It was created to prevent people from getting sick from this infection that’s circulating in the community.” If you want to learn more about all of the ingredients used in the COVID-19 vaccinations authorized for use in the United States, click here to see the full list on the CDC’s website.

MYTH: The Vaccine Will Make Me Infertile
Many social feeds were full of this misinformation, but Dr. Smith says that is absolutely incorrect. “There is no connection between the vaccine and infertility,” she says. “We actually know that the America Society of Reproductive Medicine, these are the doctors that specialize in treating women who have infertility, have strongly recommended that women who are infertile or beginning infertility treatments be vaccinated against COVD-19.” Click here if you want to read their recent study that reveals the vaccine does not cause female sterility.

MYTH: The Vaccine Was Created to Kill African Americans
This is possibly the most harmful myth out there because unfortunately COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting Black people. “Black people are dying of COVID-19 one and a half times more than those who are white,” says Dr. Smith. She emphasizes that there is also a gap in vaccine uptake by people of color and urges you to get vaccinated. “There is a safe and effective vaccine that will help prevent Black people from getting COVID and from dying from COVID,” she says.

MYTH: The COVID-19 Vaccine Causes Variants
According to the CDC COVID-19 vaccines do not create or cause variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. New variants happen because the virus is constantly changing through a natural ongoing process of mutation (change). Even before the COVID-19 vaccines, there were several variants of the virus. Looking ahead, variants are expected to continue to emerge as the virus continues to change. To find out more about variants, click here.  

MYTH: I Don’t Need A Vaccine If I Already Had Covid
Currently we don’t have any data to support how long you’ll be covered by natural immunity, according to Dr. Shantel Hebert-Magee, Region One Medical Director, Louisiana Department of Health. She goes on to say, that nor do we know if your natural immunity has been conferred will be effective against the various variants, like the Delta variant. “What we do know is that those who have been affected and have subsequently gotten the vaccine, they see a surge in their anti-bodies and it has greatly improved the chance that they would not get COVID-19 again,” says Dr. Hebert-Magee. “Why would you leave that to chance?”

Are you ready to join the 193 million people in the U.S. who have been vaccinated? To find a vaccination location in Louisiana, click here.

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now