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Reports of death following COVID-19 vaccination have some understandably convinced that the vaccine is the cause of these deaths, including this death of a doctor from Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).
The facts:
We expected several things related to these claims: we expected that people would die for reasons unrelated to vaccines, we expected that anti-vaxxers would use deaths to stoke vaccine fears, and we expected some deaths to be complete fabrications.
We have no reason to believe the aforementioned doctor died because of vaccination. ITP is a known and rare reaction to MMR vaccines, but usually pops up weeks after immunization, not days, as was the case with this doctor and his COVID-19 vaccine. It's also important to note that ITP is rarely fatal.
An autopsy is being performed in this case, so we might have answers in time.
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Disinformation is spreading that there are over 40,000 injuries due to COVID-19 vaccines.
The facts:
This figure is wildly inaccurate, with just a fraction of reports made to VAERS. Of course, using VAERS uncritically is a mistake because anyone can file a report and those reports are not meant to prove causality.
It's also important to note that the FDA and CDC are asking all COVID-19 vaccine recipients to check in about their health using the V-Safe app. This app is meant to catch all post-vaccination health reports, from mild fevers to sore arms to something potentially more severe, so health reports to it need a critical eye to discern normal immune system responses from serious adverse reactions.
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The Ugly Racist Past Endangers Vaccine Confidence
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Racism is stripping a person of their humanity, so no one is surprised that racism has (and still does) resulted in poor treatment or outright abuse within the realm of healthcare. This history rightfully might make a person of color skeptical about the safety of vaccines.
The facts:
The shame of abuse of the Tuskegee syphilis or Henrietta Lacks has led to reforms in how we conduct medical experiments, making them more ethical and the oversight of them more robust.
But trust in a system that has done harm is hard to rebuild, so the daughters of the Tuskegee survivors have gone public with their intentions to get the COVID-19 vaccines. Healthcare workers who are people of color have also gone public supporting the vaccine and explaining why they support it.
Many healthcare workers are willing to learn more about their own internal biases to better serve their patients. Their willingness to be lifelong learners is one way to rebuild trust and provide the best care for people of color.
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Vaccine Fact of the Week to Share
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Are you getting a COVID-19 vaccine? You are the shareable!
Upload your selfies to our website and share those that have been shared on our Facebook and Instagram pages!
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