False: You are at greater risk from COVID-19 vaccines than from COVID-19 itself.

By: Pallavi Sethi
December 20 2021

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COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. COVID-19 can cause severe disease and even death.Instagram account macykfit, a "registered nurse health coach," has made several false claims about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. In this instance, by quoting misleading figures, she implies that one's health is at greater risk from the vaccine than the virus itself. Scientific evidence does not support this. On September 28, macykfit revealed that she was to lose her job as she has refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19. She downplayed the severity of the coronavirus and made several unfounded claims. Her post received over 200,000 likes and 16,000 comments. According to macykfit, she treated COVID-19 patients without fear as she believes that the COVID-19 survival rate is "greater than 99 percent." However, several fact checking organizations, including Logically, have regularly debunked this claim. While speaking to PolitiFact, Dr. Ruth Etzioni, a biostatistics professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health, revealed that a person's rate of surviving COVID-19 can differ depending on their "age, health and vaccination status." Etzioni cautioned people from calculating their chances of surviving the infection. Next, macykfit blamed the media for instilling fear in people's minds about COVID-19. She stated that only severe cases of the virus were publicized and that if you are healthy and under 50, there is only a 0.05 percent chance of dying from the virus. She also claimed that people were more likely to get an adverse reaction from the COVID-19 vaccine, as the rate of experience vaccine side effects stood at 2 percent. Her statements are highly misleading. Firstly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not released an official COVID-19 fatality rate. In May 2021, the CDC published COVID-19 death rate estimates. However, it emphasized that the published data were estimates rather than predictions, USA Today reported. Secondly, most people experience harmless vaccine-related side-effects, such as a sore arm and fatigue. It is incorrect to say that life-threatening adverse reactions are common. According to official data from the CDC, a rare side effect, such as anaphylaxis, has occurred in 2 to 5 people per million vaccinated in the U.S. This translates to a 0.000005 percent chance of experiencing anaphylaxis after vaccination. In addition, from 14.8 million people who received the J&J COVID-19 vaccine, 47 people or 0.000003 percent of people suffered from thrombosis or blood clots. Anti-vaccine propaganda continues to fuel vaccine hesitancy and impact vaccination rates, especially in the U.S. According to a September Kaiser Foundation survey, uninsured adults, Republicans, and white evangelicals continue to "lag in COVID-19 vaccine uptake." The CDC has deemed the vaccines to be "effective and safe." In June 2021, U.K.'s Public Health England reported that the vaccines prevented 7.2. million infections and 27,000 deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.