Vaccines

False claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety emerge in response to German vaccination campaign

Meanwhile, Italian social media users expressed mixed attitudes about HPV vaccination.

A German vaccination campaign received pushback from social media users who falsely claim that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe. In Italy, a post discussing human papillomavirus and cervical cancer fueled discussion about the HPV vaccine, with some commenters falsely claiming it is unsafe and ineffective.

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On October 8, Germany held a “Long Night of Vaccination” event, during which pharmacies stayed open late to offer flu and COVID-19 vaccines. In response to social media posts publicizing the event, many commenters falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe and have caused mass death. Others also shared unverified stories of alleged vaccine “injuries.”

On October 16, an Italian social media user shared an Instagram post stating that she had been diagnosed with HPV and that health care providers had detected suspected cancerous lesions on her cervix. She said she planned to get the HPV vaccine to protect against other strains of the virus and encouraged her followers to get regular Pap tests to detect cervical cancer early. Most commenters expressed gratitude for the post and stressed the importance of HPV vaccination and regular cancer screenings. Some, however, falsely claimed that the HPV vaccine is unsafe and ineffective at preventing cervical cancer.

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Health messaging recommendations

Each week, the Infodemiology.com team will provide messaging recommendations in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. These helpful tips can be used when creating content, updating web and FAQ pages, and developing strategy for messaging about health.

In light of false claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety, communicators may emphasize that COVID-19 vaccines have undergone rigorous testing and safety monitoring, and that staying up to date helps prevent severe illness, hospitalization, death, and long-term health problems. Messaging may stress that COVID-19 vaccines have not caused mass death. In fact, they have saved millions of lives.

In response to discussions about HPV, messaging may explain that HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can cause certain types of cancer, including cervical cancer, anal cancer, and throat cancer. The HPV vaccine helps protect against the most common cancer-causing strains of the virus, and was rigorously tested before approval to ensure that it’s safe and effective, with no serious safety concerns identified.