It doesn’t take long for an actual scientist to debunk unfounded theories about COVID-19 vaccinations. Professor Tracy, who identified herself as a retired college professor with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology, did so in three TikTok videos—using no more than five-word replies. She was responding to colorfully crafted misinformation a commentator shared as her reasoning for why she isn’t vaccinated. She starts the video with this: “I just had to give you guys these little tools to have in your tool belt for when people try to question you about why you refuse to get it. Number one, the mRNA that they’re using in it is completely synthetic.”
Professor Tracy responded with: “That is true.” It’s a statement she seldom had the opportunity to repeat.
With the very next assertion—“this is the first time the’ve ever done that in human history”—the scientist had to correct the anti-vaxxer. “Oh, that’s not true,” Professor Tracy said.
The anti-vaxxer went on to claim that because the mRNA in the vaccine is synthetic, the body should “immediately attack it and eradicate it,” so the mRNA is coated in a nanolipid to “keep your DNA from degenerating the RNA, meaning the vaccine would be completely useless.”
It sounds just complicated enough to be true, but Professor Tracy quickly revealed it was not. The anti-vaxxer had actually just taken snippets of truth to “prove” entirely false statements; in this case, the very real nanolipid coating is not added to “keep your DNA from degenerating the RNA.” Professor Tracy interrupted the false logic at one point to say: “Your body doesn’t care if it’s synthetic or not. It just wants to destroy foreign things.”
And so went the fact-versus-fiction exchange for three videos.
Meanwhile, actual people are dying of this virus while politicians and conspiracy theorists alike continue to spread misinformation separating the public from life-saving vaccinations. Dr. Brytney Cobia of Alabama wrote a gut-wrenching Facebook post last month about what she is encountering at work. “I’m admitting young healthy people to the hospital with very serious COVID infections,” she wrote. “One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late.” Cobia added:
RELATED: ‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Doctor describes young COVID-19 patients begging for vaccine
Professor Tracy responded with: “That is true.” It’s a statement she seldom had the opportunity to repeat.
With the very next assertion—“this is the first time the’ve ever done that in human history”—the scientist had to correct the anti-vaxxer. “Oh, that’s not true,” Professor Tracy said.
The anti-vaxxer went on to claim that because the mRNA in the vaccine is synthetic, the body should “immediately attack it and eradicate it,” so the mRNA is coated in a nanolipid to “keep your DNA from degenerating the RNA, meaning the vaccine would be completely useless.”
It sounds just complicated enough to be true, but Professor Tracy quickly revealed it was not. The anti-vaxxer had actually just taken snippets of truth to “prove” entirely false statements; in this case, the very real nanolipid coating is not added to “keep your DNA from degenerating the RNA.” Professor Tracy interrupted the false logic at one point to say: “Your body doesn’t care if it’s synthetic or not. It just wants to destroy foreign things.”
And so went the fact-versus-fiction exchange for three videos.
Meanwhile, actual people are dying of this virus while politicians and conspiracy theorists alike continue to spread misinformation separating the public from life-saving vaccinations. Dr. Brytney Cobia of Alabama wrote a gut-wrenching Facebook post last month about what she is encountering at work. “I’m admitting young healthy people to the hospital with very serious COVID infections,” she wrote. “One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late.” Cobia added:
RELATED: ‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Doctor describes young COVID-19 patients begging for vaccine