Study used to falsely link COVID-19 vaccines to 470,000 deaths

This week, an anti-vaccine meme fueled debate about herd immunity and commenters spread myths about vaccine ingredients and the flu shot.

Reactions to false and misleading comments from high-ranking health officials dominated online conversations about vaccines. A preprint paper and statements from Florida’s surgeon general fueled the false claim that COVID-19 vaccines killed nearly half a million Americans. Similarly, comments made by the HHS secretary led to a spike in online discussions about the safety of certain vaccine ingredients, particularly in flu and hepatitis B vaccines. Meanwhile, vaccine opponents are sharing a meme claiming that choosing not to vaccinate your child doesn’t put other children at risk.

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What’s trending in vaccine conversation:

Social media posts are recirculating the false claim that a preprint study co-authored by Florida’s surgeon general found that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine killed “a minimum of 470,000 Americans.” The claim is completely unsupported and based on the study finding that Pfizer vaccine recipients in Florida had a 36 percent higher rate of death from any cause compared to Moderna vaccine recipients. The study reemerged online after the surgeon general condemned COVID-19 vaccines and lauded new federal vaccine recommendations in a July 17 press conference. Vaccine opponents claim that the study supports their inaccurate belief that COVID-19 vaccines are deadly. However, many critics of the study noted that it can’t be used to conclude that COVID-19 vaccination is linked to deaths because it doesn’t compare deaths between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Additionally, when compared to Florida’s all-cause death rates during the study period, Moderna vaccine recipients had a lower death rate and Pfizer vaccine recipients had only a slightly higher rate.

Online conversations about vaccine ingredients continued following recent policy changes and comments from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On June 22, Kennedy formally rescinded recommendations for flu shots containing thimerosal. Days later, at a meeting with governors, Kennedy repeated the false claim that aluminum in hepatitis B vaccines causes allergies. In response, some vaccine opponents celebrated that “mercury is out” of vaccines and “aluminum will be next.” Critics argued that the change may impact global vaccine access and cost and help fuel vaccine distrust. Some posts advocated for ending recommendations for all flu vaccines, while others repeated the myth that the flu shot increases your risk of getting the flu.

Several trending posts are sharing a misleading meme stating that unvaccinated children are not a threat to vaccinated children, and if they are, it’s proof that vaccines don’t work. The most popular post links to a site selling hoax vaccine “detox” products. The post received over 3,000 comments, with the most popular mocking the author for her misunderstanding of vaccine science and immunity. Several posts explain that this anti-vaccine rhetoric relies on herd immunity to protect unvaccinated children from vaccine-preventable illnesses, while others emphasize that herd immunity protects everyone, including those who can’t get vaccinated or don’t respond to vaccination.

Read the fact checks: 

• Lead Stories: Fact Check: Research Paper Did Not Show Pfizer COVID Vaccine Increased Death Risk by 36%, Killed 470,000 in America 
• College of Physicians of Philadelphia: How Herd Immunity Works
• Public Good News: What you need to know about vaccine ingredients and their safety

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Talking points for health care providers to use in response to trending narratives

Each week the Infodemiology.com team will provide talking points and supporting messages in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. Health care providers can use this messaging when discussing vaccines online, talking to patients, or engaging with communities.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Most of the world’s population—over 5.5 billion people—received them with no sign of widespread health issues.

• COVID-19 vaccination protects against severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID, and death.
• There is no link between COVID-19 vaccines and death. Many large-scale, global studies over the last five years have found that there is no increase in deaths in vaccinated populations compared to unvaccinated populations.
• False claims that the vaccines cause excess deaths are based on anecdotes, non-peer-reviewed research, and non-credible “studies” from non-experts.

High vaccination rates protect all children, including those who are not vaccinated. Choosing not to vaccinate your child puts them at unnecessary risk.

• Vaccination doesn’t just protect your child. It protects every child they come in contact with by reducing the spread of deadly and debilitating diseases like measles and polio.
• Herd immunity happens when enough people in a community have immunity against a disease to prevent its spread. Herd immunity can only be achieved safely through widespread vaccination.
• Children who are too young to be vaccinated and people who have health conditions that prevent them from getting vaccinated or make them less responsive to vaccines rely on herd immunity to stay safe. That’s why it’s important for everyone who can get vaccinated to do so.

Modern vaccines are the product of decades of scientists testing and fine-tuning to make them as safe and effective as possible.

• Vaccine ingredients have been thoroughly tested for safety, most for many decades. 
• Every ingredient in vaccines makes them safer and more effective. 
• Routine vaccines like the flu shot and hepatitis B vaccine are safe, effective, and the best protection against preventable diseases.

Interested in recommendations tailored to public health professionals? Click here.