False: mRNA vaccine technology has injured and killed many people.

By: Gayathri Loka
January 16 2023

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Context 

On December 1, 2022, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published a video about how scientists have developed a universal flu vaccine. "It's effective against all 20 known flu strains and could help us fight off dangerous new strains before they develop into a pandemic. The new vaccine could be in use within two years," the caption of the video read. The vaccine uses the same mRNA technology as some of the COVID-19 vaccines. 

Since the publication of the video, some social media posts have surfaced claiming that mRNA technology has "killed and injured many people." On December 10, 2022, a user on the Facebook group "THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM EXPOSED" shared the WEF video with the caption: "Why are they so desperate to inject mRNA technology into you when so many have been injured or died with the current shots?"  

mRNA vaccines have helped millions of people fight the coronavirus. The post surfaced days before the WEF summit, which will take place on January 16, 2023. This claim stems from existing anti-vaccine narratives, which have previously been debunked as false and misleading.   

In Fact 

According to the WEF, current influenza vaccines are strain-specific, which offers little protection for new or upcoming strains. The proposed universal flu vaccine, in development by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, contains 20 known flu strains, which can help fight any forthcoming strains. One of the researchers, Dr. Scott Hensley, explained to Penn Medicine News, "The idea here is to have a vaccine that will give people a baseline level of immune memory to diverse flu strains, so that there will be far less disease and death when the next flu pandemic occurs." The WEF reports that the new vaccine enables the body to build its immune system's memory, allowing it to recall what it knows and adapt quickly to new pandemic strains.

Pfizer and Moderna are the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines on the market and are approved and recommended by the FDA, the CDC, and the WHO. A Lancet paper on mRNA vaccine safety, published in June 2022, reported that most "adverse events were mild and short in duration." Similarly, Johns Hopkins Medical explains that "the risk of serious side effects associated with these vaccines is very small."  

The CDC has reported that deaths due to COVID-19 vaccines are rare, pointing out that "VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) received 18,533 preliminary reports of death (0.0028%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine." The Lancet also observed that COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives, "in part due to greater access to the more efficacious mRNA vaccines."

Logically and other organizations have previously debunked claims – typically spread by anti-vaxxers – of mRNA vaccines not being safe as false or misleading.

The Verdict 

mRNA vaccines are deemed safe to administer by many credible medical organizations, and adverse reactions are rare. According to the WEF, the universal flu vaccine will be available within two years. The claim stems from an anti-vaccine narrative that has been proven false.