A Facebook user who says he is quoting data from the World Health Organization (WHO) when he claims that 377 out of every 100,000 people are killed by a COVID-19 vaccine is spreading false information. The figure itself does not match the available data – and the WHO told Reuters it did not disclose such information.
The user posted the same claim on Facebook in February and March (here, here), as well as his account on another platform (here, here) and his personal website (here). This has resulted in other Facebook users copying and pasting the same claim (here, here, here, here, here, here, here).
One report reads: “If they stop growing, there will be at least 377 out of every 100,000 people who would otherwise be fatally injected.” In another, he referred to his source: “According to a leaked WHO safety study, they will live on at least 377 out of every 100,000 people who have otherwise been fatally injected, if they stop growing.”
Reuters could not find any public source to agree with this allegation – and the WHO said in an email that no such security study exists.
At the end of March, the WHO released an article outlining the ways in which vaccine safety is a priority. It also considers COVID-19 vaccines to be ‘safe and effective’ (here). Reports of a possible link between the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare condition culminating in blood clots and low platelets prompted the organization to release a statement on April 7 with a review of data from the drug regulators of the British and European Union (here).
A link is said to be “considered acceptable but not confirmed”, noting that the small number of cases has been administered at the more than 200 million doses of Oxford / AstraZeneca jab worldwide.
“In extensive vaccination campaigns, it is normal for countries to identify potential adverse events after vaccination,” the WTO added. “This does not necessarily mean that the events are linked to the vaccination itself, but it must be investigated to ensure that safety issues are addressed quickly. Vaccinations, like all medicines, can have side effects. Vaccine administration is based on risk versus benefit analysis. ”
Data from the UK’s Yellow Card Scheme, a website for citizens to report possible adverse reactions to vaccines (ADR), is compiled in a weekly report by the Regulatory Agency (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency – MHRA) published, and contains reports on possible ADRs in which a patient later died (yellow card.mhra.gov.uk/, here).
The latest report contains data up to March 28, when a total of 30,445,284 people received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the UK. Of these, an estimated 10.9 million doses were Pfizer / BioNTech jab, 19.5 million Oxford / AstraZeneca (here). There were 302 reports of a suspected accessory where the patient died shortly after the Pfizer jab, 472 after the vaccination in Oxford, and 12 where the brand name was not specified, ie: a total of 786 out of 30.4 million doses.
In that context, if these alleged fatal ADRs were confirmed, it would be a rate of about two or three people per 100,000 – far from the 377 per 100,000 mentioned in the original Facebook post.
“The expected benefits of the vaccines to prevent COVID-19 and serious complications associated with COVID-19 outweigh the current side effects,” the MHRA said in concluding the weekly report. “As with all vaccines and medicines, the safety of COVID-19 vaccines is constantly being monitored and benefits and potential risks are currently being reviewed.”
The MHRA referred to the possible link with blood clots and said the condition was “extremely rare” but that an investigation was underway. In a separate statement, it added: ‘The scientific review by the MHRA of the British reports on extremely rare and probably not specific blood clots with reduced platelets concluded that the evidence of a link with COVID-19- vaccine AstraZeneca is stronger, but more work is still needed[…]
“Vaccinations are the best way to protect people against COVID-19 and have already saved thousands of lives. Everyone should continue to receive their vaccination when asked to do so, unless specifically recommended otherwise ”(here).
On April 12, 135,980,000 cases of COVID-19 were reported worldwide, while more than 3 million people died (here).
VERDICT
Untrue. The WHO told Reuters the alleged security study cited did not exist. Reuters could not find any evidence of data showing that 377 out of 100,000 people die from COVID-19 vaccines.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to actually check social media posts.