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    Correcting this week’s misinformation: October 13, 2022

    Where do spike proteins go?

    The Claim:

    Two new studies claim that people vaccinated with mRNA COVID vaccines have had spike proteins detected in their breastmilk and their brain.

    The Facts:

    Any protein a baby (or anyone else) ingests gets denatured in the stomach. This includes the trace amounts of mRNA that may make it into breastmilk.

    Those who are afraid of loose spike proteins need to know that a COVID infection is a much larger risk. After all, the virus produces spike proteins and in much larger amounts. An article from Cedars-Sinai explains how the virus making it to the brain might be behind brain fog and long-term symptoms in COVID patients.

    Florida’s recommendations

    The Claim:

    The Florida surgeon general decided to rescind COVID vaccine recommendations for men ages 18-39. Does he know something we do not?

    The Facts:

    The surgeon general of Florida, citing an anonymous analysis of Florida data (pdf), is recommending against the vaccine for men 18-39 due to the “increased risk of cardiac-related death” found in the analysis.

    This analysis was not published in a scientific journal, not peer-reviewed, and claims its findings are “preliminary” and “should be interpreted with caution.” The anonymous authors looked at deaths in men that occurred within 28 days of COIVD vaccination administration, but how they analyzed it is a mystery. Any key details on methodology were omitted.

    Problems with the analysis include their extremely small sample size and incomplete data. Since it only considered death records and not medical records, the causes of death were not established and could have been anything, including underlying health issues or undetected COVID.

    The mRNA vaccines do carry a small risk of myocarditis, but it often resolves on its own relatively quickly. This study explains that the risks of myocarditis from COVID far outweigh the risks of myocarditis from COVID vaccines.

    Flu switcheroo

    The Claim:

    Was flu just switched out for COVID?

    The Facts:

    Before we had a vaccine for COVID, we had non-pharmaceutical mitigation strategies, namely masking and social distancing. As we then understood COVID to be transmitted through droplet particles, masking was the first line of defense in stopping those droplets from escaping into the environment, and distancing helped people avoid those particles if they escaped beyond what a mask could capture.

    Masking and distancing also prevented many diseases primarily spread via droplet transmission, including the flu. Back in 2013, Harvard University published a study suggesting masking helps prevent flu transmission, and in the 2020-2021 flu season, we saw that it did just that.

    But flu is likely making a comeback this year since so few people are masking and distancing. Be sure to get a flu shot.

    Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.

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