Fact check: 6 of the most persistent misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccines
Because of the highly contagious delta variant, some states are seeing their highest number of coronavirus hospitalizations since the pandemic began. Those most at risk: unvaccinated people.Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in mid-July that more than 97% of people who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 were unvaccinated. Some vaccinated people have gotten sick, but serious illness is rare in that group – another indication the coronavirus vaccines are safe and effective.Roughly half of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but vaccine hesitancy persists.More: The delta variant is ‘ripping through the unvaccinated’ and crowding hospitals in Florida, TexasAbout 14% of Americans say they will not get vaccinated, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Ten percent say they will wait and see how vaccines work for others, and 3% say they will get vaccinated only if it’s required.There are many reasons some Americans may be hesitant to receive the vaccine – some of which are based on false or misleading information.USA TODAY has spent months sorting fact from fiction about the coronavirus vaccines. Here are six of the most persistent misconceptions circulating online.1. The vaccines aren’t safe because they were developed quicklyThis is missing context. Scientists zeroed in on coronaviruses’ spike proteins 20 years ago when looking for a potential
