Social media posts use new study to falsely claim that vaccines are not safe

Social media posts are using a new COVID-19 vaccine safety study with data from eight countries to falsely claim that the vaccines are not safe. The study confirmed a slightly increased risk of adverse reactions that had been previously reported, like myocarditis, pericarditis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Risk level: Medium

Recommendation: Vaccine-induced myocarditis is commonly cited by vaccine opponents to suggest that vaccines are unsafe. Social media posts like these, which cherry-pick data to overstate very rare vaccine risks, perpetuate long-standing false claims. Debunking messaging may emphasize that the study in question did not identify new COVID-19 risks: it only confirmed previously reported and extremely rare risks like myocarditis. The risk of adverse reactions like myocarditis and Guillain-Barré syndrome following vaccination is far lower than the risk following a COVID-19 infection. Staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines is a safe way to protect against myocarditis and other health issues that could result from a COVID-19 infection.