Are Fetal Cells Used in COVID Vaccine? A Lafayette Doctor Answers

One question I am hearing from some of my friends is, "Are fetal cells being used in the coronavirus vaccine?"

Well, actually, it's more of a speculation than it is a question. I've seen people post about not wanting to receive the vaccine because they believe it is derived from fetal tissue.

Human fetal tissue is defined as tissue or cells obtained from a dead human embryo or fetus after a spontaneous or induced abortion or stillbirth. This definition does not include established human fetal cell lines. - National Institute of Health

According to a Lafayette doctor, the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine does not contain fetal cells.  Not only does this (Pfizer) vaccine NOT contain them, it did not use fetal cells in its production. Doctor Britni Hebert says that the vaccine is supported by the National Catholic Bioethics Center.

Does this vaccine use fetal cell lines? While early animal studies and basic science research did use fetal cell lines, the production and manufacturing of the Pfizer vaccine does NOT use fetal cell lines. Use of this vaccine is supported by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. - Doctor Britni Hebert, Internal Medicine / Geriatric Medicine, Facebook

In this Facebook post to the Lafayette Coroanvirus Update page, Dr. Hebert also answers some FAQs about the coronavirus and its vaccine. In summary:

• One can not get COVID from the vaccine
• The vaccine can NOT change your DNA
• It is unlikely (though not impossible) for the vaccine to cause infertility
• The vaccine was not "rushed"; the mRNA technology has been around for over a decade

The biggest take-away I read from Dr. Hebert's post was this: "the vaccine is the lower risk option even with the remaining unknowns", meaning that contracting the coronavirus is worse than taking the vaccine.

If you are concerned about keeping up with the latest information on the coronavirus in Acadiana, I recommend you follow the Lafayette Coronavirus Update page on Facebook, as it is full of useful, factual information about COVID-19. If ever anyone posts anything that is less than factual or blatantly false on the page, that information is challenged, researched, and corrected and, if need be, removed from the page so that falsehoods are not reinforced or spread.

Before you share information about COVID-19 (or ANYTHING, for that matter) on social media or among your real-life friends, please research that information using established sources. If you have questions about anything coronavirus-related, run them by the Lafayette Coronavirus Update page and I'm certain someone there will be glad to separate truth from propaganda/hype/fiction.