Social media users perpetuate ‘long vax’ myth

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shared a post about long COVID on the department’s social media page. Several comments on the post falsely claimed that long COVID is caused by COVID-19 vaccines, not by COVID-19 infection. 

Recommendation: These types of posts promote confusion about the cause of long COVID and may discourage patients from taking effective steps to protect themselves from long COVID. Debunking messaging may emphasize that reports of long COVID predate COVID-19 vaccines by nearly a year, and there is no evidence that long COVID is a vaccine side effect. On the contrary, research over the last three years has consistently shown that COVID-19 vaccination dramatically reduces long COVID risk. Lasting side effects from COVID-19 vaccines are extremely rare. The CDC recommends the updated COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 6 months and older.