COVID-19 Notebook: Myths and facts about the vaccination

The Boston Globe newspaper has shared content with other publications around the U.S. that is meant to reassure Americans that vaccines are safe. Photo Boston Globe
Last Tuesday, Aug. 18, the Boston Globe newspaper published a special section dedicated to reassuring Americans that COVID-19 vaccines are both safe and necessary. Other newspapers across the country were invited to take part and to share some of the Globe’s content.
Because we are a weekly newspaper that comes out on Thursdays, we did not participate on the same day as other publications; but we share one of the stories, below, from the Boston Globe this week.
MYTH: The COVID-19 vaccines were developed too quickly to be safe.
FACTS: It’s understandable that people would have this concern. The vaccines were rolled out in record time, two of them using a novel technology. The government entity that led the effort was even called “Operation Warp Speed.”
But in reality, the mRNA technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines had been in development for nearly two decades, and a key feature of the technology is its ability to make vaccines quickly.
In testing the vaccines for safety and efficacy, no corners were cut. The same process was followed as with any vaccine, but to speed things up, drug companies performed different phases of the research simultaneously, instead of sequentially. Volunteers quickly signed up. And the drug manufacturers started making the vaccine even before they knew whether the vaccine would be authorized, so doses were ready right away.
In deciding to allow the vaccines for emergency use, the FDA had ample evidence from studies involving tens of thousands of volunteers. And in the months since, after millions have taken them, the vaccines have continued to demonstrate their safety and efficacy.
MYTH: COVID-19 vaccines alter people’s DNA.
FACTS: That rumor sprang up, most likely, because two of the vaccines use genetic methods that most of us don’t understand — the messenger RNA, or mRNA. But you don’t need a course in genetics to grasp this simple fact: The mRNA vaccine cannot affect your DNA because it never gets near it. It enters the cell, but has no access to the nucleus where the DNA is stored.
Instead, the mRNA instructs cells to make the coronavirus’s “spike protein,” which triggers the body to create antibodies. The mRNA quickly dissolves and so does the spike, but the body’s own antibodies remain, poised to attack the real coronavirus should it appear.
MYTH: COVID-19 vaccines can cause infertility.
FACTS: Not true. The rumor apparently emerged from another misunderstanding of human biology. An incorrect report on social media said that the spike protein on the coronavirus is the same as another spike protein involved with the growth of the placenta, falsely asserting that vaccines could attack the placenta. But that’s wrong. The two spike proteins are completely different, and the vaccine does not attack the placenta or affect fertility.
MYTH: COVID-19 vaccines contain mysterious ingredients that could have long-term effects.
FACTS: There’s no mystery. The ingredients in the vaccine are listed on the CDC’s website. They include typical vaccine ingredients, such as a fat capsule to protect the mRNA, salts and a little sugar. They do not include fetal lung tissue or microchips to track you. Those are conspiracy theories with no basis in fact.
In the rare cases when vaccines cause problems, they are identified within two months, usually within days.
MYTH: Young and healthy people are better off trusting their own immune systems than risking taking the vaccine.
FACTS: It’s important to weigh the risk of the vaccine against the risk of COVID-19.
Look at what’s happening around the country. COVID-19 is surging among unvaccinated people. In communities with low vaccination rates, thousands are getting sick and dying, and hospitals are running out of intensive care beds. Previously healthy young people have been put on ventilators and some have died. Many who survive COVID-19 — 10 percent to 30 percent — endure lingering symptoms, especially fatigue and mental fogginess that prevents them from working.
Compare that with the side effects of the vaccine. Some people feel a little feverish or tired for a day; most have no symptoms beyond a sore arm. Severe allergic reactions occur in one in 100,000 shots, but manifest instantly and can be quickly reversed with medication; that’s why you have to be observed for 15 minutes after inoculation.
The severe illnesses associated with COVID-19 vaccines — blood clots and heart inflammation — are extremely rare after vaccination. Both those conditions are much more likely to happen as a result of coronavirus infection.
And yes, it’s true that young healthy people often suffer only mild symptoms from COVID-19 (although, again, some do get very sick). But you don’t live alone on a tropical island, and even if you’re doing fine, you can infect someone else who won’t do well. Do you really want to be responsible for making a loved one or even a stranger deathly ill?
Nothing in life is risk-free. But COVID-19 vaccination is one clear case where the benefits far, far outweigh the risks.
Thanks to the Boston Globe for sharing their research
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Christine Gevert, Crescendo’s artistic director, is delighted to announce the start of this musical organization’s 22nd year of operation. The group’s first concert of the season will feature Latin American early chamber music, performed Oct. 18 and 19, on indigenous Andean instruments as well as the virginal, flute, viola and percussion. Gevert will perform at the keyboard, joined by Chilean musicians Gonzalo Cortes and Carlos Boltes on wind and stringed instruments.
This concert, the first in a series of nine, will be held on Oct. 18 at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, and Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Lakeville.
For those unfamiliar with Crescendo, the award-winning organization was founded in 2003 and brings lesser-known works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods — along with contemporary fusion pieces — to new life. Its performances often blend classical composition with nontraditional instrumentation for a refreshing new take on an established body of work.
Gevert, who is German, Chilean and American, is a conductor, keyboardist and musical scholar. As the multi-national, multi-lingual (German, Spanish and English) creative director, she is a veritable whirlwind of talent, professionalism and inspiration who conceives of new musical treats for her audiences. She also hires and nourishes local talent, sources internationally known vocal and instrumental professionals, and provides her audiences with well-researched program notes for each concert, packaged in lush, full-color programs that resemble illuminated manuscripts.
“It is the excitement about and dedication to the music, along with the prerequisite vocal and instrumental talent, that characterizes a Crescendo member,” said Gevert. “I don’t care about things like how old or young you are or where you’re from — it’s all about bringing these performers together to provide unforgettable musical experiences for its audiences.”
“Traditional audiences for classical music performances tend to skew older,” Gevert continued. “For that reason, I’ve embarked on an effort to reach younger listeners, and have done things like taken a Crescendo choral group to perform at Housatonic Regional High School. I’ve also launched an effort to recruit and train young singers in Baroque singing techniques so they can perform with our existing choral group.”
The upcoming 2025-26 season includes, among other performances, a solo recital and benefit concert on Nov. 22 by the international Baroque opera star and countertenor Nicholas Tamagna. The curated program will include works by Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi.
Two dazzling Christmas concerts follow: on Dec. 6 and 7, Crescendo presents J.S. Bach’s “Sweet Comfort” cantata and Mass in G minor, featuring the full chorus and soloists with a period instrument orchestra. On Dec. 21, the annual Holiday Concert will be presented: “A Tapestry of Traditions: Unraveling the History of Christmas Carols,” with the entire Crescendo vocal ensemble and Gevert on organ.
For the full schedule, concerts details and ticket information, visit: www.crescendomusic.org