Social media post falsely claims that COVID-19 vaccines have injured more than 10 million people

Following a New York Times article about COVID-19 vaccine injuries, a well-known vaccine opponent in California falsely claimed on social media that COVID-19 vaccines have injured more than 10 million people. In response, some social media users shared concerns about COVID-19 vaccine safety and personal stories about vaccine injuries, while others debunked the post’s false claims.

Recommendation: False claims about alleged vaccine injuries attempt to undermine the public’s perception of the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Continuing to reiterate that COVID-19 vaccines have been rigorously tested and determined to be safe is recommended. If directly debunking the false claim that COVID-19 vaccines have injure more than 10 million people, messaging may emphasize that there is no evidence to back up the statistic cited in the social media post and that a 2023 analysis that found that higher COVID-19 vaccination coverage was associated with lower all-cause mortality rates across 178 countries. The benefits of vaccination outweigh any potential risks because staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines prevents severe illness, death, and long COVID.