Infectious disease experts have identified three common misconceptions about Covid-19 that persist among the public.

The omicron variant of Covid-19 is spreading rapidly in the US, resulting in a surge in infections and hospitalizations, and new myths about the virus are emerging.

Since its discovery in South Africa in November, the variant has been the subject of constant scientific scrutiny. Recent studies have revealed its strengths and weaknesses: it is four times more transmissible than the delta variant, causes less severe physical symptoms than previous variants, and Covid boosters significantly increase protection against it.

Despite the data collected by the World Health Organization from over 5,800 studies worldwide on Covid-19, falsehoods about the pandemic persist, and omicron has given some of them new momentum.

A group of top infectious disease specialists have shared the most common Covid-19 misconceptions they are currently encountering.

Myth: Vaccines don’t work because vaccinated people are catching omicron

According to an early study from South Africa last month, a two-dose regimen of Pfizer's Covid vaccine only provides 22.5% protection against symptomatic infection from omicron.

The study found that getting vaccinated can help alleviate symptoms if you do contract the illness, lowering the likelihood of hospitalization or death. Additionally, adding a booster shot increases your protection against symptomatic infection to 75%, according to real-world data from the U.K.

According to Dr. Mark Sawyer, an infectious disease specialist at Rady Children's Hospital, who served on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee that approved Covid vaccines in 2020, the vaccine is effective, as demonstrated by both death rates and hospitalization rates when comparing vaccinated individuals to unvaccinated individuals.

Hospitals in some states do not publicly track patients' vaccination status, but those that do support Sawyer's claims.

A significant number of hospitalized Covid patients in states such as South Carolina, Montana, and Mississippi are unvaccinated, according to data from Time. Additionally, recent research from New York State indicates that unvaccinated residents had a 13-fold higher risk of hospitalization during the state's omicron surge in late December compared to vaccinated residents.

The vaccines stimulate your immune system to create a group of Covid-fighting cells that work together to combat the virus. While antibodies help prevent infection, if you do get sick, your T cells, which are triggered by the vaccine, target and destroy virus-infected cells to reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Dr. David Hirschwerk, an infectious disease specialist and medical director at Northwell Health’s North Shore University Hospital, emphasizes that the "worth of the vaccine" lies in preventing severe illness and hospitalizations.

He says, "I hope we can continually remind ourselves of that fact."

Myth: Omicron infections are too mild to be dangerous

An infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. Shaun Truelove, has observed numerous depictions of omicron as "mild" and "similar to the flu and cold."

Omicron has a higher rate of transmission and is better at evading existing antibodies than previous Covid variants, despite its physical symptoms sometimes resembling the flu or common cold.

Omicron is more severe than the cold or influenza, causing hospitals to go into emergency mode and declare full capacity, according to Truelove.

Although the severity of symptoms may be the same, the resulting hospitalizations and deaths are significantly higher in number, as he explains. He believes that this crucial aspect is often overlooked.

Catching omicron, even with mild symptoms, allows the virus to continue spreading and increases the likelihood of it mutating into a more dangerous variant.

Myth: There are still many unknowns about long-term Covid vaccine safety

Over a year has passed since the first Covid vaccine was given in the U.S., and approximately 250 million individuals nationwide have received at least one vaccine dose, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to Sawyer, a significant portion of the country's unvaccinated population remains concerned about the long-term safety of vaccines, particularly due to unknown side effects.

Sawyer states that hundreds of millions of doses of these vaccines have been administered, including to young children aged 5 to 11. If there was any mysterious side effect, it would have been detected and known by now.

Rare are the long-term side effects of vaccines. For instance, J&J's one-shot vaccine has a minimal risk of "thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome," a severe blood clotting disorder. On the other hand, Pfizer and Moderna's mRNA vaccines can increase the risk of myocarditis, a heart inflammation condition, in men under age 29. However, these cases are usually mild and resolve on their own.

The benefits of the vaccine for Sawyer far outweigh the risks. As of Friday, about 63% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Of those fully vaccinated, around 38% have received a booster dose, which experts say is crucial in protecting against omicron.

Register now to receive our weekly newsletter and enhance your knowledge about money and career.

Don’t miss: