Vaccines Do Not Contain Tracking Chips: Ezike

ILLINOIS — As the first Illinoisans received the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike encouraged others to get vaccinated when more shots become available.

"It was, in fact, a great experience to witness today some of the first COVID-19 vaccinations given here in Illinois," Ezike said during Tuesday's news briefing.

Ezike said vaccinations in general can be a "polarizing topic," and COVID-19 has "widened this divide." Ezike also took time to dispel "myths and misinformation" about the COVID-19 vaccine.\

Who Is Getting The Coronavirus Vaccine First In Illinois?

"For one, the vaccine does not contain a tracking chip," she said. "There is no evidence to show that it causes infertility. Thirdly, getting the vaccine cannot result in you getting COVID-19."

Unlike the flu vaccine, Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine does not contain the virus itself. Instead, it encodes instructions in genetic material called messenger RNA, telling the body how to best fight the virus. After receiving the instructions, the body begins producing virus-killing antibodies that hunt down the virus before it can make you sick.

To combat misinformation, Ezike urged people to look at larger bodies of work from science and medical researchers for information — and not just one article, but several.

Illinois' first shipment of the vaccine contained about 43,000 doses, with the vast majority headed to 10 regional hospital coordination centers around the state, according to the governor's office.

Those hospitals will serve as hubs for distributing the vaccine, with local health departments tasked with getting the vaccine to the public from there. Between 85,000 and 86,000 doses will be available statewide this week, the governor said at a news conference in Peoria Tuesday.