False: Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has a mortality rate of nearly 6 percent.

By: Ilma Hasan
December 8 2021

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The graph provides data on adverse events, not considering underlying conditions. Studies show adverse reactions to the vaccine is extremely rare. A Facebook post sharing an article is wrongfully claiming that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has a one out of 17 mortality rate based on a Pfizer Safety Study dated April 30 2021 that shows "out of 21,325 known outcomes within 90 days of ‘vaccination’, 1,223 suffered fatal adverse events". The safety study specifically gives an analysis of the cumulative post authorization safety data, including U.S. and foreign post-authorization adverse event reports received through 28 February 2021. It does not provide context of deaths compared to total number of jabs administered globally till date. According to the figure, 1,223 of the 42,086 adverse events reported were fatal. However, this statistic is now outdated in addition to the fact that repeated scientific studies have shown the vaccines are safe to take, with extremely rare cases of adverse events. The post also fails to mention the limitations of the data clearly noted in the report. "In some reports, clinical information is missing or incomplete, and follow-up information may not be available. An accumulation of adverse event reports does not necessarily indicate that a particular event was caused by the drug; rather, the event may be due to an underlying disease or some other factor(s) such as past medical history," it states. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 459 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through November 29, 2021. During this time, VAERS received 10,128 reports of death (0.0022 percent) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. CDC analyzed vaccine effectiveness across 13 jurisdictions from April 4 to July 17 and found unvaccinated people were five times more likely to be infected than fully vaccinated people, and ten times more likely to be hospitalized or die. Additionally, research by Kaiser Permanente published in CDC's ‘Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report’ found that death rates from non-COVID-19 causes were lower among those vaccinated than among those who were not. Pfizer vaccine recipients were found to have a mortality rate of 4.2 deaths per 1,000 vaccinated people per year after the first dose, and 3.5 after the second dose, compared to 11.1 in the unvaccinated comparison group. Clinical trial data shows the COVID-19 vaccines do not pose a risk of death. Public health officials say the shots can prevent serious illness, and experts say their benefits outweigh their risks.