Get vaccinated against COVID-19, even if young and healthy, because the Delta variant significantly increases hospitalization risk for younger populations, and the risk of myocarditis from infection is higher than from vaccination.
Be aware of the risk of long-haul COVID syndrome, including brain atrophy, blood clots, and strokes, even from mild or asymptomatic infections, as these can affect younger individuals and lead to long-term health issues.
Trust the accelerated development of COVID-19 vaccines; the process was expedited by removing financial barriers and running trials concurrently, not by skipping safety steps, and the underlying mRNA technology has been researched and used in human clinical trials for decades.
Dismiss concerns that mRNA vaccines alter human DNA; the biological mechanisms (lack of nuclear entry, reverse transcriptase, or integrase enzymes) make it biologically implausible, and it’s viruses themselves (like HIV) that can alter DNA.
Do not be concerned about antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) with current COVID-19 vaccines, as their design prevents the generation of ADE-causing antibodies, and real-world data shows vaccinated individuals have less severe disease.
Be reassured that current data from clinical trials and real-world studies indicates no significant negative effect of COVID-19 vaccines on human fertility in men or women, nor on pregnancy outcomes.
Do not directly interpret raw VAERS data to conclude vaccine-caused deaths or adverse events, as it’s a reporting system with expanded requirements and reporting biases, requiring expert epidemiological analysis against background rates.
Do not misinterpret CDC death certificate data to conclude that COVID-19 only causes 5% of deaths or only kills people with multiple comorbidities, as the listed ‘comorbidities’ are often the direct fatal consequences of COVID-19.
Understand that the spike protein in COVID-19 vaccines is structurally different from the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein, making comparisons of their dangers inaccurate; concerns about vaccine spike protein biodistribution are based on high-dose animal studies or unreliable human data.
Understand that COVID-19 vaccines, even with the Delta variant, still reduce overall transmission by preventing a significant percentage of infections, and also reduce onward transmission by leading to faster viral clearance and less infectious viral particles in breakthrough cases.
Do not believe claims that COVID-19 vaccines make the virus more deadly or virulent; viruses evolve for transmissibility, not virulence, and variants typically emerge from unvaccinated populations where higher viral replication provides more opportunities for mutation.
Do not rely solely on ivermectin or other repurposed treatments as an alternative to vaccination; current evidence for ivermectin’s direct efficacy against COVID-19 is limited, often confounded, and does not compare to proven vaccine efficacy. Avoid self-medicating with veterinary formulations.
Employ a ‘Swiss cheese model’ approach to protection against COVID-19, using multiple layers of defense (like vaccination, masks, and treatments) because each layer has ‘holes,’ and combining them offers better overall protection.
Optimize general health and immunity through lifestyle factors such as adequate sleep, sufficient vitamin D levels, regular exercise, stress reduction, and exposure to fresh air and sunlight, as these provide broad benefits beyond COVID-19.
Put aside partisan thinking and approach discussions about COVID-19 with thoughtfulness, patience, and humility, especially when encountering differing viewpoints.
Seek out unbiased, science-based information to understand the risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccines and other health topics to make informed personal decisions, rather than relying on sensationalized or misleading claims.