April "scientific" rumor list: Will the new coronavirus vaccine cause the virus to "immune escape"?

The April scientific rumor list is here! Does COVID-19 vaccination cause "immune escape"? Does the Beidou system frequently disconnect? Is human activity the culprit for the sandstorm in Beijing? Let's see the truth.

The monthly "science" rumor list is guided by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, the Beijing Municipal Cyberspace Administration, and the Capital Internet Association, and jointly released by the Beijing Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Association and the Beijing Regional Website Joint Rumor-Refuting Platform, and is supported by the Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Professional Committee of the China Science Writers Association, the China Evening News Science Editors and Journalists Association, the Shanghai Science Communication Association, and the Beijing Institute of Scientific and Technological Information.

1. COVID-19 vaccination will lead to virus "immune escape"

gossip:

The large-scale vaccination of the new coronavirus vaccine must be stopped immediately, otherwise the virus will mutate and cause "immune escape".

the truth:

"Immune escape" refers to the way pathogens or tumors antagonize, block, and inhibit the body's immune response through different mechanisms. Although "immune escape" is theoretically possible, it is not the vaccine's fault at all.

Various variants of the new coronavirus appeared before the large-scale vaccination, and more contagious variants appeared. Even without a vaccine, after the virus infects the human body, the immune system will produce immune pressure against the virus on its own, and under this pressure, variants will appear.

On the other hand, it is unrealistic to say that "the virus can resist antibodies by adding a few mutations." When designing various vaccines, researchers generally choose the entire spike protein of the new coronavirus or even the inactivated virus as a whole, so that the vaccine can stimulate the human body to produce multiple antibodies against various parts of the virus, and these vaccines will not immediately lose their effectiveness when the virus mutates.

On the contrary, if few people are vaccinated and the spread of the disease remains high, the virus will have more opportunities to mutate. The real solution to the COVID-19 epidemic is to vaccinate a large number of people as soon as possible to reduce the space for the virus to evolve and mutate.

2. Beidou satellite navigation system frequently disconnects

gossip:

The vehicle-mounted Beidou positioning system frequently drops the line, indicating that the Beidou system is unreliable.

(Photo source/Beidou Satellite Navigation System official website)

the truth:

Beidou positioning device and Beidou satellite navigation system (hereinafter referred to as "Beidou system") are not the same concept. Beidou system is a satellite navigation and positioning system, and the so-called "Beidou products" on the market are often just products of a certain company and cannot represent the Beidou system. The Beidou system has the ability to release navigation and positioning, but how to use it is realized by third-party software or hardware, that is, "Beidou products". Assuming that the satellite signal transmission of the Beidou system is really interrupted, it will also cause large-scale equipment failure, and it is impossible for the failure of one or two devices.

It is precisely because the BeiDou system is well-known and has a good reputation that the public is very concerned about it, and the phenomenon of using the high-tech name of "BeiDou" to deceive people occurs from time to time. The behavior of some businesses using the name of the BeiDou system to hype up the real situation must be resolutely corrected. This is not only to regulate the industry, but also to protect the BeiDou system.

3. Human activities are the culprit for the sandstorm in Beijing

gossip:

Human activities are the main culprit for the sandstorms in Beijing. From the Jin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, people cut down the forests in the Western Hills to build palaces, causing Beijing to be plagued by sandstorms for 800 years.

(Photo/China News Service reporter Zhao Jun)

the truth:

Dust storm is a special type of weather. Its occurrence and change have their own regularity. Its frequency and intensity are related to precipitation, temperature, and the activity of spring weather systems. Modern research on sandstorm weather shows that the occurrence of blowing sand and sandstorm weather generally requires two conditions: one is strong and persistent wind, and the other is abundant, loose and dry sand on the surface. The occurrence of sandstorms is indeed related to human activities, but it is not decisive. Natural conditions themselves are the determining factors for the occurrence of sandstorms, and human activities only play a role in strengthening or weakening sandstorms.

The occurrence of sandstorms in Beijing is not just a thing that has happened in the past 800 years since the Yuan Dynasty, but has always existed throughout the entire historical period. The frequency of sandstorms in North China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties did not show the characteristics of increasing number and intensity of activity as human activities increased, but rather showed quasi-periodic oscillations. The sandstorm change sequence is significantly negatively correlated with the changes in spring and winter temperatures in North China during the same period, and is also significantly negatively correlated with the precipitation sequence in North China. In other words, if there is more precipitation, the surface soil is moist, the sand and dust have strong adhesion and are not easy to be blown up, and the sandstorm will weaken; if there is less precipitation, the surface soil is dry, the sand and dust have weak adhesion and are easy to drift with the wind, and the sandstorm will intensify.

4. Drinking pure water can cause osteoporosis

gossip:

Purified water lacks "life ions" that nourish the human body. Drinking this kind of water frequently will lead to ion loss, causing body fluids to become increasingly acidic and leading to osteoporosis, rickets, etc.

the truth:

Drinking purified water will not cause osteoporosis or rickets. Purified water is water that has been prepared by reverse osmosis or distillation and has most impurities removed. After treatment, the amount of essential mineral elements such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium in purified water is significantly reduced, but it does not mean that it does not contain any trace elements.

The normal pH value of human body fluids is between 7.35 and 7.45. Although the body is constantly producing and taking in substances of different pH values, the pH value of body fluids does not change significantly. Purified water is neutral or weakly acidic. After being reconciled by human gastric juice and absorbed by the intestines, it does not change the pH value of organs or other tissues. Therefore, for the human body, drinking purified water will not make the body fluids "more and more acidic".

Pure water will not cause osteoporosis and rickets. A 60 kg adult has a body fluid weight of about 36-42 kg, and the amount of water he drinks a day usually does not exceed 2 liters. This amount of water has no effect on the calcium ion concentration in his body. The main factors that lead to calcium loss in the human body are age, hormone levels and dietary intake.

In addition, the causes of rickets are insufficient vitamin D intake, low calcium levels in the body, insufficient sunlight exposure, etc. The main way for the human body to absorb calcium, magnesium and other elements is through daily diet, not drinking water.

5. The protection period of the new crown vaccine is only half a year

gossip:

The protection period of the new coronavirus vaccine is only half a year, and it needs to be administered again after half a year.

the truth:

Currently, there is only data for half a year, which does not mean that the vaccine can only protect for half a year. The National Health Commission recently announced that the vaccine is effective for more than 6 months through monitoring of the antibody levels of the vaccine recipients. This is the antibody level time currently monitored, which does not mean that immunity is only for this period of time. Moreover, antibodies are not the only indicator to measure protection.

Humans have been exposed to the novel coronavirus for just over a year, and the novel coronavirus vaccine has been available for even less time. Therefore, research on the persistence of immunity in vaccines is still under observation. The "Guidelines for Clinical Evaluation of Novel Coronavirus Vaccines (Trial)" issued by the National Medical Products Administration requires that the new coronavirus vaccine on the market should provide at least 6 months of protection. Research on those who were the first to receive the vaccine found that the vaccine recipients have currently obtained 9 months of antibody monitoring data. Experts are also continuing to strengthen monitoring, and longer-term protection effects require further observation.

6. You don’t need to do nucleic acid testing after getting the COVID-19 vaccine

gossip:

The protective effect produced by the new crown vaccine is very good, so as long as you show the vaccination certificate, you don’t need to do the nucleic acid test again, there will definitely be no problem.

(Photo/China Daily reporter Zou Hong)

the truth:

The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that according to previous clinical trials of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, about two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine, the vaccinated population can produce a better immune effect. However, the COVID-19 vaccination certificate cannot replace the nucleic acid test report.

According to the CDC, after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, a very small number of vaccine recipients may still test positive for nucleic acid or develop symptoms. The reasons include: after the full vaccination, some vaccine recipients did not receive effective protection due to immune failure. After being exposed to the COVID-19, these people may test positive for nucleic acid or develop symptoms due to infection with the COVID-19; it takes some time for the vaccine to produce a protective effect. If the COVID-19 is infected during this period, nucleic acid may be tested positive or the disease may occur; patients in the incubation period of the disease or asymptomatic infected persons may still test positive for nucleic acid or develop symptoms due to infection even after vaccination. The CDC reminds that these people may become carriers. When nucleic acid screening is required for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, the COVID-19 vaccination certificate cannot replace the nucleic acid test report, and citizens still need to cooperate with relevant departments to conduct nucleic acid testing.

7. People with allergies should definitely not get the COVID-19 vaccine

gossip:

Some people are allergic and are particularly reluctant to receive the new coronavirus vaccine because the vaccine can induce strong allergic reactions.

the truth:

Many people are concerned about whether people with "allergies" can get the COVID-19 vaccine. In the "Technical Guidelines for COVID-19 Vaccination (First Edition)", there are two contraindications related to "allergies". One is for people who are allergic to the active ingredients, inactive ingredients, and substances used in the production process of the vaccine, or have had allergies when receiving similar vaccines before; the second is for people who have had severe allergic reactions to vaccines in the past. So, there are quite a few people who are allergic to pollen and antibiotics. Can they get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Currently, this vaccine does not contain antibiotics, so antibiotic allergy is not a contraindication to vaccination. For general allergies, for example, some people have allergic rhinitis, and some people may be allergic to pollen, because these have no direct relationship with the ingredients of the vaccine, the so-called allergic constitution is not a contraindication to vaccination. The proportion of true vaccine allergies is not very high. The more common ones are some allergic rashes, which may pass in a flash and recover quickly. A slightly more serious one is anaphylactic shock, and the probability of this happening is very, very low, generally less than one in a million.

Because very serious allergies usually occur about 15 minutes after vaccination, you need to stay at the vaccination site for 30 minutes. In case of relatively serious reactions, such as laryngeal edema and anaphylactic shock, the vaccination site can provide timely treatment to avoid accidents.

(Content sources: China News Network, Science and Technology Daily, China Internet Joint Rumor Refutation Platform, Beijing Evening News, Beijing Youth Daily, Beijing Science and Technology Daily, "Shanghai Internet Rumor Refutation" WeChat public account)

Produced by: Science Central Kitchen

Produced by: Beijing Science and Technology News | Science Plus Client

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