Google searches related to infertility and coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines increased by 34,900% after a pair of physicians submitted a petition questioning the safety and efficacy data of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine. Referencing the petition, anti-vaccine activists circulated claims that misconstrued the information regarding the possibility that the vaccine could impact fertility in women. The inaccurately represented information spread rapidly on social media channels, potentially influencing public perception and decision-making among pregnant patients or those seeking to become pregnant, according to research published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. This happened despite the fact that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the vaccine, deeming the concerns in the petition insignificant. […]
Source: Google trends, the COVID-19 vaccine and infertility misinformation | EurekAlert! Science News