Doctor debunks the biggest COVID-19 vaccine myths in under a minute

"You may get a few symptoms, but this is the body's immune reaction - not the virus itself."

A doctor has gone viral (if you pardon the pun) on social media by debunking some of the biggest Covid-19 vaccine myths. What's more, he successfully delivered his message in under a minute. Over the past few weeks, the world has borne witness to the development of numerous vaccines aimed at tackling the coronavirus - the biggest global threat to public health. However, in some circles there remains scepticism surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine - and jabs in general. Some have also taken issue with how quickly the vaccines were developed. How much of this stands up to scrutiny? Not a lot, according to doctor Benjamin Stanway. Janaway is an NHS doctor who describes himself on LinkedIn as a 'science communicator' and on Instagram as a doctor, writer and, um... 'bellend'. In a video posted on Twitter, Janaway answered the most frequently asked coronavirus questions, debunking the biggest Covid-19 vaccine myths in the process. https://twitter.com/drjanaway/status/1334151488474648576

Myth #1 - You're injected with the live virus

Janaway said: "Vaccines are made of an inert or dead form of the virus inserted into the body so the body's white blood cells - i.e. its immune system - can develop a natural immune response. "When encountering a wild-type version of the virus, it breaks it down without any symptoms. This breaks the chain of infection and reduces deaths - millions, in fact."

Myth #2 - Vaccines are linked to conditions such as autism and Alzheimer's

"The link between vaccines and autism and vaccines and Alzheimer's has been completely disproven by large-scale studies. There are no dead babies, bits of dead babies or bits of anything else in the vaccine that is going to harm you. This is all a myth."

Myth #3 - The Covid-19 vaccine isn't worth the risk

No vaccine is without its risks, but there is a very small chance of harm according to Janaway. "The actual risks of vaccines are a risk of anaphylactic reaction, which is vanishingly low, and a risk of allergic reaction to foodstuffs that can be used (and they will ask before they give it). "There's also the risk of local tissue damage due to putting a needle in somebody, and a small risk of general tissue damage, but once again this is really low. You may get a few symptoms but these are the body's immune reaction - not the virus itself."