《TAIPEI TIMES》 Online vaccine rumor has no scientific basis: CDC

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The Centers for Disease Control （CDC） yesterday responded to an online rumor claiming that getting a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose would shut down the immune system, saying that there is no scientific evidence suggesting that any vaccine dose causes immune system shutdown or immune tolerance.

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The CDC referred to a rumor on social media, which includes a link to a video showing a guest reporter talking about COVID-19 vaccination on a US network talk show, with an attached message in Mandarin claiming that the TV station has “finally admitted” that getting a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine could shut down the recipient’s immune system.

The reporter was expressing a “personal comment,” but did not provide any evidence or explanation, and the TV station did not support her comment or claim that it was correct information, the CDC said, adding that there is no scientific evidence that receiving more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine would cause immune tolerance, nor evidence proving that vaccines would cause reduced immunity against other illnesses.

The centers said that the rumor has previously been clarified by the then-Central Epidemic Command Center in 2022, and by the Taiwan FactCheck Center and MyGoPen, two fact-checking organizations.

Meanwhile, the CDC said that the risk of COVID-19 infection continues to increase and cases are expected to peak in the week before the Lunar New Year holiday, so they encourage people to get a dose of the XBB.1.5-adapted vaccine to protect their health and reduce the healthcare system burden.

As of Thursday about 1.36 million people in the nation had received the XBB vaccine, and there are still about 4.24 million doses of Moderna’s XBB vaccine and about 202,000 doses of Novavax’s XBB vaccine available, the centers said.

Separately, the latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program show that the program’s committee agreed to compensate 10 of the 135 cases of suspected post-vaccination adverse reactions discussed in a meeting on Dec. 21 last year.

The compensation ranged from NT$5,000 to NT$300,000 （US$160 to US$9,583）, the person who received NT$300,000 is a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine recipient.

CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo （羅一鈞） said the recipient is a woman in her 60s residing in New Taipei City, who developed weakness in her limbs and difficulty walking after receiving a vaccine shot, adding that she was tested for multifocal neuropathy and later diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.

The woman also has underlying health conditions including diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease, Lo added.

The doctor also found that the woman had an infectious disease, causing her to have a higher risk of developing neuropathy.

Additional reporting by CNA

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES