Shortly after news broke that an actor and star of a popular sitcom died in an apparent drowning accident, vaccine conspiracists began speculating that his death was linked to COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccine opponents circulated a 2021 social media post of the actor encouraging others to get vaccinated as alleged “proof” for the cause of death.
Debunking messaging may explain that there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines had anything to do with the actor’s death. Baselessly blaming vaccines for high-profile deaths and illnesses regardless of the circumstances or evidence to the contrary is a now-familiar anti-vaccine tactic. Nearly 80 percent of adults in the U.S. completed their primary COVID-19 vaccine series safely and with evidence that no widespread health concerns resulted.
