Article misrepresents Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine policy, death data

Consider countering this misinformation by emphasizing that the claim misrepresents the Canadian government’s reasons for changing its vaccination requirements and misinterprets data about death by COVID-19 vaccination status. Canada will no longer require travelers entering the country to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination because the country has a high vaccination rate as well as low rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Emphasizing that Canada’s high vaccination rate makes it easy to mistakenly believe that vaccinated people are more likely than unvaccinated people to die from COVID-19 is recommended. Vaccinated people make up a much larger portion of the population so they make up a larger number of deaths, even though they are at far lower risk of dying or being hospitalized from COVID-19 than unvaccinated people.

Fact Checking Source(s): 

• Lead Stories