A site known for promoting misinformation and conspiracy theories published two articles falsely claiming that COVID-19 vaccines are deadly. The first article claimed that COVID-19 boosters have killed one in every 800 people over the age of 60, based on a tenuous correlation between vaccination and excess mortality rates. The second article claims that there have been twice as many deaths from vaccines as from COVID-19, based on an unverified, self-reported survey conducted by a tech entrepreneur best known for his misinformed criticism of COVID-19 vaccines.
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No data about cause of death or vaccination status was included in the first article, making it impossible to draw conclusions about the vaccines’ potential role in excess deaths. While COVID-19 death data is based on official reports from state health departments and federal health authorities, the data in the second article is based on unverified responses to a survey. Around 15,000 deaths after COVID-19 vaccination have been reported to VAERS—which contains user-submitted, unverified reports—and analyses of these deaths have not revealed that a significant number were caused by the vaccines. Emphasizing that these reporting systems contain unverified reports while directing to actual evidence is recommended, as is continuing to explain what mild side effects people can expect after vaccination. Fact Checking Source(s):
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