By Mahlon Meyer
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Over 500 websites are spreading misinformation or disinformation about COVID-19, according to the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Such falsehoods continue to spread even as the pandemic wanes from its acute phase.
“Websites on the list include publishers notorious for publishing false health content, political sites whose embrace of conspiracy theories extends well beyond politics, and new sites that were created specifically to spread misinformation about COVID-19,” according to Newsguard, a team of journalists endorsed by UNESCO.
Since just doing a Google search to check on a claim or a person’s credentials can lead to misinformation, the Northwest Asian Weekly spoke to two verified experts on COVID-19 at leading hospitals to explode some of the more prevalent “myths” about the disease.
The experts
Both are practicing doctors at leading medical institutions.
The first, Anne Liu, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained specialist in allergy/immunology and infectious disease and a clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
The second, Catherine Liu (no relation), is a physician who specializes in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases that affect patients with weakened immune systems.
She also directs the outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and is a professor in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division and associate director of Infection Prevention also at Fred Hutch, while serving as an associate professor at the University of Washington.
The myths
In interviews with the Northwest Asian Weekly, they cleared up five of the most harmful myths about COVID-19. Such myths have prevented people from getting vaccinated—the number one way of protecting from the pandemic.
The myths, which have been propagated by unreliable or malicious websites, include falsehoods such as that the U.S. government mandated the vaccine against COVID-19 to control people. They also included falsehoods about side effects or who should be receiving the vaccine, further discouraging some people against getting vaccinated.
Both experts said such myths were unreliable and that, in fact, getting a vaccine against COVID-19 not only could save your life, but has benefits for your health and your livelihood.
Myth #1: Home test kits
One of the most destructive myths involves at-home test kits, since it undermines confidence in even determining if you are infected, in the first place.
The myth is as follows: if you use an expired kit, the results are not valid—without exception.
Such an outcome is possible, said Catherine Liu. But many tests can be used beyond their expiration dates, she said.
And, more importantly, the manufacturers can tell you which ones can be used and for how long past their expiration date.
“At-home Covid tests used beyond their authorized expiration dates may give inaccurate or invalid results,” she said. “That said, the expiration date for an at-home Covid test may be extended beyond the date listed on the box if additional stability data is collected by the manufacturer. In these cases, it may be appropriate to use these tests.”
To the relief of anyone with home test kits that appear outdated, there is, in fact, a website that can be consulted.
“You can check the expiration date column of the list of authorized at-home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests to see if the expiration date for your at-home test has been extended and how to find any new expiration date,” said Catherine Liu.
To check the validity of your at-home test kit, go to:
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/home-otc-covid-19-diagnostic-tests#list
Anne Liu, of Stanford, confirmed the practice, saying the reliability of outdated tests can vary “from brand to brand.”
Myth #2: Government “control”
Turning to the vaccine, one of the more pernicious and widespread myths involves the falsehood that the U.S. government was seeking to control people by mandating it.
In truth, government policies about vaccines were for the welfare of the society—to keep essential services running, like healthcare.
“During the height of the pandemic, the U.S. government implemented vaccination requirements in order to promote health and safety, protect an essential workforce, and to minimize disruption of key services including our healthcare system,” said Catherine Liu.
What it boiled down to was that the government had no choice. And in the end, this saved countless lives.
“This was a strategic move done out of necessity during the acute phase of the pandemic and ultimately, saved millions of lives,” said Catherine Liu.
Still, now that the pandemic is no longer raging, vaccination mandates are over.
“These requirements have changed as we have shifted beyond the acute phase of the pandemic – as of May 12, 2023, the federal vaccination requirements have been revoked,” she said.
Some misinformation still lingers, however, such as that the vaccines could somehow be used to control people in other ways.
Said Anne Liu, “The vaccinations cannot be used by anyone, including the government, to control, track, or monitor people.”
Myth #3: Side effects
Then there are myths about side effects of the vaccine. One of the most prevalent states that booster shots somehow create health issues for people who didn’t have such issues in the past.
But over the past few years, a lot of data has been gathered about the vaccines—without any indication they lead to health problems.
“We have accumulated excellent safety data for Covid vaccines over the past several years; there is no evidence to suggest that vaccination or booster doses lead to increased health issues,” said Catherine Liu.
In fact, taking the vaccine, on the contrary, helps protect against at least one illness that can last for years, if not longer.
“In fact, there are data that suggest the opposite [that vaccines can lead to harm]—that Covid vaccination prior to infection may lower the risk of long Covid,” said Catherine Liu.
The link between getting a vaccine and developing a health issue is coincidental, both experts said.
People develop health issues all the time that have nothing to do with getting a booster.
“There has been no evidence that booster vaccinations create more health issues for people,” said Anne Liu.
In a very small number of people, temporary inflammation of the heart muscle may occur. According to the American Heart Association, only 0.007% were hospitalized or died as a result.
Moreover, the risk of myocarditis in people who were not vaccinated, and then got COVID-19, was at least 11 times higher than those who developed it after a vaccine.
“People continue to develop health conditions as they always have, and it may be coincidental when these health conditions arise after vaccination, aside from the known risks of myocarditis,” said Anne Liu.
Myth #4: Senior citizens
Another myth targets senior citizens. It encourages them to question the need for a vaccine—either because they grew up without many vaccines or because they might believe vaccines they already received would protect them.
But other vaccines don’t protect against COVID-19.
“Vaccination against other diseases such as influenza or measles does not provide any protection against Covid,” said Catherine Liu.
In fact, senior citizens are in greater danger, and the vaccine is the best way to save themselves.
“Elderly individuals are at increased risk for hospitalization and death due to COVID-19 and vaccination is the single most important thing that they can do to protect themselves,” she said.
In some cases, it could even save their lives.
“Older people are at much higher risk for death and other complications from COVID, so they will gain the most from getting vaccinated,” said Anne Liu.
At the same time, other vulnerable populations need it, too—more so than others.
“This virus is particularly ferocious when it comes to people who are elderly, hypertensive, overweight, diabetic, or immunocompromised,” she said.
Myth #5: The young and healthy
On that note, it might be easy to conclude that only senior citizens and other vulnerable populations need the vaccine. This is the false conclusion offered by one other myth—that if you’re young and healthy, you don’t need a vaccine.
In fact, everyone needs one. Even the young and healthy can get both COVID-19 and long Covid.
“Covid vaccination is recommended in the U.S. for everyone over 6 months. Covid is not just a disease of the frail and elderly—even those who are young and otherwise healthy may experience serious complications from Covid infection including long Covid,” said Catherine Liu.
Even for the young and healthy, getting vaccinated is the number one way to save yourself from this risk.
“Vaccination is the single most important step one can take to protect yourself and those around you,” she said.
This is also true of young people who are in vulnerable populations.
“Young people who have medical conditions including hypertension, diabetes, are overweight, and immunocompromised, among others, remain at high for complications from Covid if they are not vaccinated,” said Anne Liu.
Finally, even though the current strain of the virus most widely circulating in the U.S. is less lethal than the original, the young and healthy can, at the very least, still lose work time and transmit it to others if they don’t get inoculated.
“Those who are healthy should consider vaccination as well because it reduces the impact on your livelihood if you get infected and helps protect those around you,” she said
Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
You can visit vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov or call 1-800-525-0127 to find a place to get a COVID-19 vaccination or booster.
Made possible in part by the Washington State Department of Health through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This information does not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Washington State Department of Health or the Department of Health and Human Services.