Side effects, myths & facts

Claim:

The mRNA vaccine can change my human genome.

Explanation:

The fact is that the mRNA in the vaccine does not enter the protected cell nucleus where your genetic material (DNA) is located. The vaccines that are currently approved in Switzerland use the mRNA in order to produce virus proteins in your body, which teach it to recognise the coronavirus. Your immune system will quickly render the coronavirus harmless if you come into contact with it in future. In this video, you can find out more about how an mRNA vaccine works.

Claim:

The vaccination can affect fertility.

Explanation:

The COVID-19 vaccination has no impact on fertility. Vaccination is safe. It is also safe if you want to get pregnant soon or at some time in the future. It likewise has no effect on the future development of the placenta or the course of a future pregnancy. You can receive the vaccination at any time during your menstrual cycle. You can also get vaccinated if you are breastfeeding.

Following vaccination, your body recognises the coronavirus by its typical spike proteins and is able to fight the virus in a very targeted manner.

All of the vaccines that have been authorised in Switzerland are tested carefully as regards their safety. Fertility problems have never been reported as a side effect of a vaccination. The COVID-19 vaccines are no exception and their safety continues to be monitored closely. Further information on the topic of fertility can be found on the FOPH website.

Claim:

A vaccine that is developed and tested so quickly cannot be safe.

Explanation:

The global impact of the pandemic created an extraordinary environment for bringing vaccines to market so quickly. Various stakeholders came together to provide the required financial and logistical resources. The various phases of the clinical studies were completed in parallel and not one after the other as is usually the case. This saved a lot of time. As the population recognised the risk presented by the virus, there were many volunteers prepared to come forward and participate in the clinical trials. Many wanted to help ensure a safe and effective vaccine became available. The trials were very large, included many participants and thus also generated vast amounts of data for the monitoring of any potential side effects. More information on the COVID-19 vaccine development can be found in this graphic.

Research in the area of mRNA technology was already in full swing prior to the pandemic, having begun more than a decade ago. The scientists worked together closely in order to make this technology usable using the existing infrastructure. Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, is the approval and control authority for medicines and medical devices. Swissmedic has the role of authorising and monitoring vaccines in Switzerland. When the first results from the clinical trials were available, Swissmedic already began a rolling review of the data (under normal circumstances, all trials are completed first before the review process commences). This procedure allowed Swissmedic to already review the available results while the final trials were still being conducted without altering its high safety standards. The requirements with respect to efficacy and safety are the same as they are for any other vaccine authorised in Switzerland. All COVID-19 vaccines that are authorised and recommended in Switzerland have a strong safety profile and continue to be monitored during their use.

Claim:

mRNA vaccines are new and cause long-term side effects.

Explanation:

Based on established scientific knowledge about the immune system and the body’s response to a vaccination with an mRNA vaccine, the scientific community is convinced of the long-term safety of the mRNA vaccines that are currently authorised and recommended in Switzerland. As the coronavirus has only been around for a short time, it was not possible to conduct long-term trials specifically for COVID-19 vaccines prior to the launch of the vaccination campaigns. We know from other vaccines that most adverse vaccination reactions (AVRs) occur shortly after the vaccination. Experience has shown, however, that severe AVRs are very rare and would primarily show up within a matter of months after vaccination. This period has already been covered by the vaccine approval trials, which have been running since 2020 with tens of thousands of people. Monitoring will also continue in future.

In addition to the solid data on the mRNA vaccines gathered during the clinical trials, we now also have experience from vaccination campaigns. More than several billion people worldwide have now received the vaccine, and the vast majority have had hardly any side effects. With the large number of people being vaccinated and the close monitoring by regulatory authorities worldwide, any problem would be quickly detected.
Switzerland has a strict approval process for vaccines and a robust system in place for monitoring safety. This guarantees that the Swiss population has access to safe vaccines. The standards set by Swissmedic have proven to be sound time and again since their inception. These standards ensure the long-term safety of the vaccines authorised in Switzerland.

Claim:

The side effects of the mRNA vaccination are worse than a natural infection.

Explanation:

mRNA vaccines have already been administered to billions of people. If significant severe side effects were to occur, the large number of vaccinated people means that this would be known by now. This is because adverse vaccination reactions (AVRs) that are observed after vaccination must be reported. The safety of vaccines is closely monitored by Swissmedic and other regulatory authorities worldwide. All adverse vaccination reactions reported in Switzerland are listed on the Swissmedic website. The risks arising from an infection with the coronavirus are significantly greater than the risks of a recommended COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 can be dangerous and associated with long-term adverse health effects (e.g. post-COVID-19 condition). The mRNA vaccines were developed in a process where safety was a constant concern. The mRNA vaccines provide good protection against severe cases of the disease. A severe case of the disease increases the risk of post-COVID-19 conditions. This means that the vaccination also protects against the long-term consequences of the disease, as many studies show.

Claim:

The vaccine increases the risk of dangerous virus variants emerging.

Explanation:

All viruses change naturally as long as they are circulating within the population. When a virus reproduces, changes sometimes occur in its genetic material. These changes are called mutations and lead to the emergence of a new variant of the virus. This is normal and to be expected; often mutations have no effect or are harmful to the virus. Occasionally mutations put the virus at an advantage so that it spreads as a variant in the population. The vaccines authorised in Switzerland have a strong safety profile and high efficacy. They do not contain coronaviruses. Therefore, vaccination can neither make you sick nor is it possible for you to pass viruses on to other people. Instead, the vaccine provides the body with instructions for how it can recognise the coronavirus and build an effective immune response against it.

Claim:

The COVID-19 vaccination can cause a positive test result.

Explanation:

You cannot get COVID-19 due to the vaccination. The vaccines do not contain any coronaviruses. Vaccination does not cause a positive PCR or rapid antigen test either. The vaccines contain pieces of the virus – or in the case of the mRNA vaccine – induce the production of very small pieces of the virus. However, these are not detected by the tests. Furthermore, the test and the vaccination are performed in completely different areas of the body: the swab for the test is taken in the nose or the throat, while the vaccination is given in the upper arm muscle. The response of the body’s own immune system to the vaccination subsequently takes place locally and is limited to the upper arm. It is not possible for components of the vaccine or products produced by the vaccination to make their way from the arm to the nose/throat area.

This means that no component of the vaccines can infect you with the coronavirus or give rise to a positive test result.

Claim:

Once you’re vaccinated, you can no longer be infected with coronavirus.

Explanation:

The COVID-19 vaccines authorised in Switzerland are very effective when it comes to preventing severe cases of the disease. Unvaccinated people are much more likely to be infected than vaccinated people. The vaccination’s efficacy against the Omicron variant is constantly being analysed. However, no vaccine is 100% effective, and infection can still occur despite vaccination. The latest data show that most of these infections are mild and do not last long. Only in very rare cases do infections in vaccinated people result in serious illness and hospitalisation. At the moment, the majority of people being admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 are not vaccinated. As over time more and more people will be vaccinated, the proportion of infections in vaccinated people will increase, which is to be expected. You can draw a parallel with the introduction of car seat belts. If 100% of the population wears a seat belt, the number of fatal car accidents decreases. But if an accident does occur, 100% of accident victims will be wearing a seat belt. This doesn’t mean that seat belts don’t work. When more and more people are vaccinated, the number of infections will fall. A larger proportion of the remaining infections will occur in vaccinated people. But that doesn’t mean that vaccines don’t work. On the contrary: they are the most effective tool we have at our disposal to end this pandemic.