Two COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Tennessee, and the Tennessee Department of Health is helping to combat misinformation about them. Below are some common myths you may have seen circulating on social media or heard from a friend or family member.
1. Fiction: The government is mandating that everyone receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Fact: The vaccine is not mandated in Tennessee. The state strongly recommends that Tennesseans who are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine get the vaccine, though we all have the right to choose.
2. Fiction: The COVID-19 vaccines are not safe because they were rapidly developed and tested.
Fact: All COVID-19 vaccines go through the same careful process as every other vaccine. Both the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines were found to be safe during research studies with no serious events among tens of thousands of volunteers who received the vaccines. The vaccine will also continue to be monitored to make sure that any rare problems are found as soon as possible and evaluated to see if they were caused by the vaccine.