Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resurfaced the three-year-old myth that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines had a 23 percent higher death rate than placebo in clinical trials. Kennedy insinuated that the vaccines caused those deaths and said that the vaccine was ineffective because it didn’t prevent COVID-19 deaths. A popular post sharing the clips of the interview cites surveys claiming that a quarter of Americans believe they know someone who died of a COVID-19 vaccine injury.
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The high-profile source increases the risk of the false claim. Messaging may explain that this claim is based on a report finding that in a trial with over 44,000 participants, 14 all-cause deaths were reported in the placebo group and 15 deaths in the vaccine group. None of the deaths were vaccine-related, and only three (two in the placebo group and one in the vaccine group) were COVID-19-related. The same report found the vaccine to be 97 percent effective against severe COVID-19 illness. Debunking messaging may continue to emphasize that comprehensive analyses over the last three years disprove the claim that COVID-19 vaccines cause excess deaths, including a 2023 analysis of data from 178 nations that found COVID-19 vaccination coverage was linked to lower all-cause mortality rates. Fact-Checking Source(s): AFP, AP News
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