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A comprehensive review found that mRNA vaccines — a popular target of viral vaccine conspiracy theories and medical misinformation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic — are a resoundingly safe and effective feat of modern medicine.
Published this week in the journal The Lancet, the review confirmed that mRNA vaccines are robustly effective at preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID, and show incredible promise for treating diseases like cancer as well. It was conducted by an international team of researchers based in Canada, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and took the drug’s manufacturing, clinical trials, and data from billions of real-world vaccinations into account.
“mRNA vaccines represent a transformative advance in vaccinology,” reads the study, “combining rapid development timelines, scalable manufacturing, and strong immunogenicity with a favorable safety profile.”
The study’s results also dispel the erroneous notion that mRNA vaccines alter human DNA. Instead, as intended, mRNA vaccines provide human cells with what’s basically a limited set of instructions that allow them to momentarily — and safely — replicate a given virus or disease, allowing the body to develop an immune response.
The review also showed that the mRNA shots are safe for sensitive groups like children and pregnant women, and that booster shots are helpful for extending a shot’s efficacy.
“After billions of doses, we now have an extraordinary amount of scientific evidence,” said Dr. Anna Blakney, lead author on the study and an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of British Columbia, in a statement. “This review affirms that mRNA vaccines are a safe and highly effective platform, supported by rigorous testing and real-world monitoring.”
Crucially, the review doesn’t shy away from possible side effects, which do occur. Some people do appear to have had allergic responses, with some takers, most notably young men, experiencing myocarditis after getting an mRNA shot.
“With any new vaccine or medicine, it is important that we clearly and transparently communicate the safety data and rigorous testing that supports their use,” Dr. Manish Sadarangani, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Evaluation Center at British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, said in a statement. “This is essential to building public trust, countering misinformation and supporting informed decisions about vaccination.”
But side effects are also a reality of pretty much every drug on the planet, and as the study authors urge, their findings show that negative side effects of mRNA jabs are rare and certainly don’t outweigh the benefits: limiting the spread of infectious disease, reducing instances of severe illness and death, and offering additional protection to those who can’t receive vaccines themselves due to medical reasons.
If you’re hesitant about getting an mRNA vaccination, please don’t listen to podcasters or get your medical advice from social media posts. Listen to scientists — or better yet, consult your doctor.
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