A 25-year-old recent pharmacy school graduate who helped run vaccine clinics died of unknown causes late last year. Some vaccine opponents immediately speculated that the death was related to COVID-19 vaccines. Several weeks after the woman’s death, her father suffered an aortic dissection, a tear on the lining of the major blood vessel in the heart. The same bad actors are now claiming that both deaths were vaccine-related.
The relatively low engagement on the posts decreases the risk. However, the posts highlight a common tactic of anti-vaccine activists to blame any sudden or unexplained death on vaccines, without any evidence, knowledge of other health conditions, or even confirmation of vaccination status. Exposing the disinformation strategies of vaccine opponents and emphasizing key messages is recommended: COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
