Last Updated on August 14, 2023 by Neelam Singh
Quick Take
A social media post claims that Covid-19 vaccine spreads from person to person. We fact-checked and found the claim to be False.
The Claim
A social media post shared on X, formerly Twitter claims that research done by the University of Colorado indicates that the COVID-19 vaccine has primarily spread throughout the population via shedding, implying a person-to-person transmission.
We have attached a screenshot of the post below:
Fact Check
Does the Covid-19 vaccine spread from person to person?
No, the Covid-19 vaccine itself does not spread from person to person. Covid-19 vaccines are designed to stimulate an immune response in the body to help protect against the virus. They typically contain a small piece of the virus or genetic material (such as mRNA) that instructs cells to produce a harmless protein similar to a part of the virus. This protein triggers an immune response, teaching the immune system how to recognize and fight the virus if the person is exposed to it in the future.
Once a person receives the vaccine, their immune system responds and develops protection against the virus. The vaccine components do not replicate or continue to spread in the body. Therefore, there is no transmission of the vaccine itself from one person to another.
Furthermore, even the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has confirmed that the concept of vaccine shedding is a myth.
On further investigation, we found the research paper as mentioned in the claimed social media post in a follow-up tweet by the same claimant. This post provides a link to an early version of the research paper, which later underwent peer review and was officially published in the ImmunoHorizons journal. The published paper is titled “Aerosol Transmission of SARS-CoV-2-Specific Humoral Immunity.”
Vaccine shedding refers to the release or discharge of any vaccine components within or outside the body. This phenomenon can only arise when a vaccine contains a live attenuated version of the virus.
None of the COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the India incorporate a live virus.
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