One false information being spread among the public is that chips are being injected along with COVID-19 vaccines, Asmoro noted.
"So this is a hoax that has developed a lot because people don't understand what the actual contents of the vaccine are. Actually, the contents of the vaccine, whether it is American-made vaccine, Europe, China, all have the same international standards," she explained.
Vaccines only contain viral components and ingredients that make vaccines last longer in the body, she said. "So there is no chip or whatsoever," she assured.
Another misinformation is that the coronavirus can be warded off by smoking, she said. This is not true, she stressed.
Smoking actually worsens health, especially if one is infected with COVID-19, she added.
Smoking can also aid COVID-19 transmission via droplets, especially in rooms without good air circulation, which can allow the virus to remain in the air and potentially be inhaled by others, she said.
Asmoro also debunked the false information that children are immune to COVID-19, saying the national death rate among children due to COVID-19 is actually quite high.
"So don't get me wrong. It does not mean that these children are immune, and we have to be sad instead because in Indonesia, the child mortality rate due to COVID-19 is very high compared to other countries. So, we have to take care of children extra carefully, teach them the 3M health protocols," she said.
She also dismissed the notion that health protocols need not be followed post vaccination, saying this kind of thinking is misguided since vaccinations do not make people 100-percent immune to the virus.
Vaccinations are part of the effort to shield people from COVID-19 transmission, she said. Adherence to the health protocols is also necessary for cubing infections, she added.
"One day, for example, if everyone has been vaccinated, we already have herd immunity, then we can expect to loosen this health protocol," Asmoro remarked.
She also cautioned people against believing the misinformation that COVID-19 can be cured by drinking eucalyptus oil. Consuming eucalyptus oil can actually harm the body and potentially cause new diseases, she said.
It is also a hoax that the immunity of people who have been infected with COVID-19 is better than those who have been vaccinated, she said. The immunity developed by people infected with COVID-19 is different, she explained.
"Some are mild in form, some are optimally formed. So what is better is protection through vaccines, because vaccines can provide protection that has already been measured, in accordance to recommendations, so it is optimal," Asmoro stressed.
"Moreover, if the symptoms are mild, usually the antibodies are not as optimal as expected and usually don't last as long as the ones (who have their immune system boosted) from the vaccine," she added.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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