No, COVID-19 vaccines can't alter your DNA.
Video / NZ Herald
The Ministry of Health has issued a warning over a flyer being circulated by an anti-vaccine group, telling Kiwis to only go to trusted sources for information on Covid and vaccines.
The pamphlet, which was circulated by the Voices for Freedom group, is designed to look like an official form and tells New Zealanders that they need to have booster shots twice-monthly to retain their vaccine passes.
It directs people to a website that describes a future where the vaccinated are required to be "human pin cushions" and receive multiple booster doses.
In reality, boosters were only recently rolled out to those who had their second dose of the vaccine more than six months ago and no further plans for ongoing boosters have been announced.
The need for boosters has been highlighted by the growth of the Omicron variant.
Pfizer said a booster of its Covid-19 vaccine may offer important protection against the new Omicron variant even though the initial two doses appear significantly less effective.
Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said that while two doses may not be strong enough to prevent infection, lab tests showed a booster increased by 25-fold people's levels of antibodies capable of fighting off Omicron. For people who haven't yet had a booster, the companies said two doses still should prevent severe disease or death.
In response to a Herald enquiry about the fake form, a Ministry of Health spokesperson confirmed that they were aware of it and wanted to remind and encourage people to "only go to trusted sources of information when seeking to find out more about the virus and the vaccine".
"Misinformation can be spread through a range of different channels including social media, traditional media (television, radio and print), pamphlets, posters and letterbox drops," the spokesperson said.
"We all have a responsibility to stop misinformation spreading, and we encourage people to only go to trusted sources to get reliable information."
They called on social media companies to continue to be proactive in managing misinformation on their platforms and asked Kiwis to report any they see.
"If people see any examples of misinformation about Covid-19 or the vaccine, whether it's online or a physical document, we encourage them to report it to CERT NZ through their website or calling 0800 2378 69," the spokesperson said.
"Our approach focuses on providing readily available reliable information while building and strengthening resilience to false information. We publish accurate, timely, reliable content consistently to ensure our community knows that we are a place to go for correct information and regularly advise on how to look out for accurate information."
