Hi! It's me, your resident herpes celebrity, here to inform you that it seems HIGHLY unlikely to me that you'd get herpes from a vaccine. My theory is that people who already have herpes (and were maybe asymptomatic?) are having outbreaks after getting vaccinated. https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1384499729929805827

Stress is a common trigger of herpes outbreaks. It's also normal for folks to have outbreaks when they're sick & their immune system is depleted. I've heard from a lot of herpes+ folks that the pandemic has stressed them the hell out and so they're having more outbreaks.

Herpes is a VERY common virus with a number of different strains. The strain being reported on here is herpes zoster, better known as shingles. About 1 out of every 3 people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime.

Herpes zoster is also chicken pox. That's right: if you've had chicken pox, you have a herpes virus.

Herpes is a heavily stigmatized virus, which makes it an insanely catchy headline. The New York Post is relying on our confusion and fear of herpes to make people click on their article, and they're sowing misinformation and fear about the COVID-19 vaccine as a result.

My takeaways:
1. Get the COVID-19 vaccine. It will not give you any form of herpes.
2. Herpes is not a big deal, and you likely already have it.
3. The New York Post sucks.

If you'd like to learn more about herpes, which is a VERY cool virus, and its powerful social stigma, I gave a @tedx talk about it! You can watch it here: https://elladawson.com/2016/05/11/watch-my-tedx-talk-stis-arent-a-consequence-theyre-inevitable-with-transcript/