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 — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.
Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.
In addition to her husband and parents, Kelsey is survived by her two beloved children, Hunter Horton and Aryanna Horton, both of Lakeville; a step-brother, Jason Tuncy of East Hartford, Connecticut; her mother-in-law, Frances “Fran” Horton and her brother-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton III and his wife Penny of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and their son, Alec, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton, Jr. in 2017.
There are no calling hours. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Millerton American Legion Post # 178, Route 44, Millerton, NY 12546. A time to celebrate Kelsey and share stories and memories. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jane Lloyd Fund. Please make checks payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (please note in memo line, The Jane Lloyd Fund) and mail to: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Kelsey’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.
In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.
Normally at this point one might list some interests, but in Eliot’s case, it’s easier to list what he wasn’t interested in: watching sports.
Eliot made a living as a fine craftsman and carpenter, but at heart he was an artist. He was well versed in music, painting, literature, biking, travel, Mardi Gras costumes, poker, pranks, street performance and on and on and on.Having previously hiked the entire Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, he recently achieved another dream of summiting the highest stratovolcano in North America.
Eliot’s creative ability was astounding. His creations were designed to bring joy to others. He didn’t seek recognition or praise, and a large part of his work was anonymous. Pieces of art would appear in the community, encouraging people to think, connect and enjoy.
From the precociously funny and determinedly defiant boy that grew up in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Eliot grew into a brilliant, gentle souled, boundlessly creative, ever mischievous, perpetually scraggly, and astoundingly wise and caring man who made an indelible impact on those who were lucky to have him in their lives.
In honor of Eliot, please consider making donations to organizations that work to end gun violence, support the arts, or provide mental health services. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Salisbury on Sunday Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.
He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.
He was the beloved husband of Karen LaChance Osolin; the loving brother of Bruce Osolin and the late Gail Osolin Leo; the devoted uncle of Kyle and Andrew Osolin and Taylor LaChance; the brother-in-law of Debra LaChance; and the cousin of Brenda Curran, Jay Pickering and Audra Salazar.
To honor Randy’s memory, do a good deed for another or send a donation to the Little Guild, 258 Sharon-Goshen Road, West Cornwall, CT 06796. The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.