Doctorshitout at vaccine lies

MORE THAN 60 Jewish doctors have come out fighting against misinformation about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, urging the public to “stop spreading rumours”.

An open letter organised by Dr Sam Freeman, signed by GPs, consultants and other medical professionals, discussed “some of the rumours” surrounding the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

“We believe the widespread uptake of the vaccine will prevent illness and lead to lives being saved by protecting people from catching Covid-19, by reducing the burden of ‘long Covid’ in younger patients, and by preventing hospitals becoming overburdened,” the letter said.

It added that there is no evidence to support a “rumour that the vaccine causes infertility”, a misconception that, it warned, was “particularly prevalent in Jewish circles.”

“The mRNA vaccines cannot alter your DNA,” it said. “They simply act as messengers teaching your body how to create antibodies in case you encounter the infection at a later date.”

The letter added: “There is no logical reason to assume that the mRNA vaccine would affect fertility.”

The doctors also denied false claims the vaccine contained “pork or anything that isn’t kosher”.

They emphasised that there exists “very few medical reasons not to be vaccinated”, and that those invited for a vaccination are screened by a healthcare professional beforehand.

“We live in a time where misinformation is increasingly common,” the letter said. “Rumours spread quickly, and social media has played a significant contribution in this.

“We ur g e people to stop spreading rumours and i nst e a d, c o nsult those working in healthcare with an ability to appraise s c i e n t i f i c e v i - dence,” it added.

T h e l e t t e r focused on dispelling fears abour the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The signatories said they were “very excited” about the approval for use in the UK of the breakthrough OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine, which may prove key in the fight against Covid.

Around 530,000 doses of the drug — developed by the University of Oxford working with the UK-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca — were due to be available from Monday.

There is no evidence for a rumour that the vaccine causes infertility’