In a recent interview, the former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator stated that thousands of people could potentially have vaccine injuries. The physician did not cite any evidence to support the claim, but some vaccine opponents are circulating it to suggest that actually millions of people have vaccine injuries.
The response to the statement underscores how a high-profile figure can validate misleading anti-vaccine talking points and how vaccine opponents can intentionally misrepresent good-faith conversations about vaccines. Debunking talking points may continue to emphasize that in nearly four years of research and global safety monitoring, no evidence of widespread COVID-19 vaccine injuries has ever emerged. Messaging may explain that even if there are thousands of injuries among the over 5.5 billion vaccinated individuals, it would make COVID-19 vaccines among the safest medical interventions in history.
