No, spike proteins from mRNA vaccines are not linked to death and illness

By: Christian Haag
January 19 2024

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Source: Instagram/Screenshot/Edited by Logically Facts

Context

A post on Instagram has gone viral falsely claiming that “excess deaths, turbo cancers, illnesses, strokes, heart conditions, autoimmune conditions [are] caused by the mRNA spike proteins.”

The post refers to a “Spike Protein Detox Guide” published by the World Council For Health, claiming to show “how to clear viral and vaccine-induced spike proteins from the body.”

However, the claim is false, and there is no evidence that spike proteins from mRNA vaccines have caused excess deaths.

What are spike proteins? 

Spike proteins are a part of the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that helps the virus enter and infect cells. It is also used in mRNA vaccines to teach the immune system how to replicate the spike protein and begin the production of antibodies and T Cells. The mRNA disintegrates within a few days due to its fragility, and the spike protein is estimated to last for a few weeks before the immune system has remembered and “learnt the enemy.” 

Image of the false claim shared in Instagram
(Source: Instagram/Screenshot/Edited by Logically Facts)

In fact

Spike proteins from mRNA vaccines causing excess deaths is a common anti-vax claim that tends to cherrypick and misinterpret data. Recently, it was claimed that 17 million people had died from COVID-19 vaccines; however, the data used in the article coincided with increases in COVID-19 cases, and the author did not distinguish between deaths by vaccine or infection. Correlation does not always mean causation. 

There is no link between COVID-19 vaccines and cancer or “turbo cancers” referred to in the viral post. The term “turbo cancer” is not a real medical term and is only used in anti-vaccination circles.  

The claim that mRNA spike proteins cause illnesses is very generalized. Adverse events such as myocarditis and anaphylaxis have been reported but remain rare. Research has shown a higher risk of contracting myocarditis from COVID-19 itself. Spike proteins do not accumulate in the heart and cause damage, a claim Logically Facts has previously debunked.

Any link between strokes and COVID-19 vaccines has been difficult to ascertain due to conflicting data. Medical News Today states that “while early studies suggested some vaccines might have this effect, several vaccines never appeared to affect the risk of stroke. Furthermore, more recent studies have failed to discover robust links between COVID-19 and stroke risk.”  In general, the risks involved in taking the vaccines are lower than the risks of not taking the vaccine. 

Similarly, a cohort study from August 2023 discovered that COVID-19 infection increased the risk of developing autoimmune diseases, but that vaccination reduced the risk.

The World Council For Health and the Detox Guide

The World Council for Health describes itself as a “global coalition of health-focused initiatives and civil society groups [that] seeks to broaden public health knowledge and sense-making through science and shared wisdom.” However, the organization primarily peddles anti-vaccine misinformation. To detox from the vaccine, they suggest ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, various foodstuffs, vitamins, and herbs – all unproven remedies. 

The detox guide recommends medicines to reduce spike protein load, which they suggest increases after vaccine transmission, or “shedding.” The idea that COVID-19 vaccines can “shed” and transmit antibodies through air or by skin contact is an anti-vaccination myth. It is not possible for vaccines to transmit anything as vaccines do not contain virus particles.  

Ivermectin has not been proven to treat COVID-19 and neither has hydroxychloroquine. In fact, a recent French study concluded that hydroxychloroquine may have caused 16,990 deaths. 

Health Feedback has previously reported on the basic premise of whether it is possible to “detox” from spike proteins. It is unlikely this is possible, considering that they disappear from the body within a matter of weeks, according to the majority of studies. One study in the medical journal Circulation found that spike proteins circulated in rare cases of adolescents who contracted myocarditis following vaccination. However, the authors state that the results do not alter the benefits of vaccination and in another review, Nature concludes that while the results can help explain why myocarditis is more frequent among adolescents and young adults, this needs to be confirmed in larger cohort studies. 

The World Council of Health is labeled as conspiracy and pseudoscience by Media Bias/Fact Check, and APP and AFP have previously debunked its claims. It has hosted known disinformation spreaders such as Dr. Aseem Malhotra and lists several partners on its website, such as the Children’s Health Defence, an anti-vaccination movement led by Robert Kennedy Jr. 

The verdict

There is no proof that mRNA spike protein causes death or illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Research shows that COVID-19 vaccines are beneficial and it is more likely COVID-19 itself would lead to serious illness, not the vaccines. The United Council of Health is a known disseminator of vaccine disinformation. We have therefore marked this claim as false.