“Their development was rushed. They cause infertility. They will track your every move with an amazingly tiny microchip ….
These and many other common myths and misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines have contributed to plodding vaccination rates in the U.S., said Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, a medical oncologist at UI Health in Chicago. Seventy percent of U.S. adults had received their first dose by early August, a goal President Joe Biden had wanted to meet by July 4.
“I have patients who I will ask why they don’t want to get [a vaccine], and they will literally quote this misinformation and disinformation that they’ve found online or heard in their communities,” she said.
Messaging that discourages vaccine uptake has proven deadly during a pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 720,000 Americans, said Dr. Jain, who is an assistant professor of medicine and the director of communication strategies in medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago.”
