The Claim:
A former member of the UK parliament, Andrew Bridgen, claims that spike proteins from vaccination are the real cause of Long COVID.
The Facts:
Long COVID is when someone still feels sick for weeks or months after having COVID. People first started reporting long COVID in early 2020, before vaccines even existed. This shows that vaccines are not what causes long COVID.
The paper Bridgen wrote looked at the spike protein. This is the part of the virus that helps it get into our cells. Both getting COVID and getting a vaccine involve spike protein, but they work very differently:
- When you get COVID, the virus makes a lot of spike protein because it is spreading through your body.
- When you get the vaccine, your body makes only a small amount of spike protein for a short time so your immune system can learn to fight the virus.
The researchers found that people who had COVID had more spike protein in their bodies than people who were only vaccinated.
Long COVID could potentially happen after getting the vaccine. But it is much more likely to happen after getting sick with COVID because the real virus makes your body deal with a much bigger and stronger attack than the vaccine does.
Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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