State Health Commissioner responds to misinformation and upcoming changes
Indiana Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina box recently assured the public that the COVID19 vaccine does not alter DNA, as some individuals have apparently expressed concerns about that being a possibility.
Dr. box was asked to address this concern during the Q&A portion of the state’s COVID-19 update on Wednesday, March 24.
She explained, “The MRNA vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell which is where the DNA is. It only goes into the cytoplasm and works on a part of the cytoplasm called the ribosomes to make it make a protein that your body sees as foreign and then your immune system gets fired up and makes antibodies and responds to that.” box continued, “There is no changing of your DNA, there’s nothing permanently inserted into your cells. I understand that’s a concern for people but the science behind that does not support that.”
Dr. box also responded to a question about the anticipated changes expected to go into effect in April which would remove the mask mandate and the executive order related to COVID-19
restrictions.
Casey Smith from the Associated Press asked Box to remark on the following, “We’ve been talking to some medical experts and they said they believe it might be too soon to lift the mask mandate with it possibly being several weeks or even a couple of months past April 6 before we have a high percentage of Indiana residents who are considered fully immunized I’m just wondering what your thoughts are on that.”
“My thoughts on that are that the science remains the same.” Dr. Box responded, “Whether it’s a mask mandate or it’s called a mask advisory, Hoosiers know what the science shows. We have made it very clear and we’ve been doing that, for the most part, across the state, wearing our masks to prevent the spread of this virus to other individuals and to prevent ourselves from coming infected.”
Box added that aside from mask wearing, additional mitigation factors such as social distancing, hand washing, and staying home when exhibiting symptoms, all remain the same, regardless of what the state officially has in place.
She noted, “I think we’re positioned very well as long as we continue to, as you say, wear these masks and practice those social mitigation measures that the science has clearly shown works.”
Governor Eric Holcomb also responded to the question, mentioning how data-driven decisions have been utilized throughout the pandemic. He explained that with more vaccine availability and an increased resources and capacity to care for individuals who require extra medical attention after coming down with the virus, Hoosiers are in a far different place now than they were when the mask mandate was first implemented in 2020.
However, that being said, Gov. Holcomb also noted that testing and tracing will continue to be crucial in the coming months and that the anticipated changes do not point to the end of the pandemic.
He explained, “This is by no means a mission accomplished moment, this is a proceed with caution. This is absolutely a time to take it onward and upward.”
He reiterated that Hoosiers have been educated about what mitigation measures they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones, as Dr. Box explained, and stated that officials will continue to lead by example.