Three doctors who worked for the same hospital group in Ontario, Canada, died in close succession in July 2022. Anti-vaccination crusaders seized on this coincidence to push the false claim that COVID-19 vaccine boosters caused their deaths. But that’s not true. Let’s take a look at the facts.
NewsLit takeaway
NewsLit takeaway: Disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines often capitalizes on coincidences, including the deaths of celebrities and other public figures, to manufacture “evidence” that supports the false belief that the COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe. In this case, the deaths of three doctors roughly coincided with Ontario expanding access to a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines. Be wary of social media posts that seek to forge a false connection between COVID-19 vaccines — which have been widely proven safe and effective — and unrelated events.
- “Fact Check-Three physicians’ deaths not related to COVID-19 vaccine, Canadian hospital says” (Reuters Fact Check).
- “Deaths of three doctors in Canada were neither sudden nor linked to COVID-19 vaccines” (Monique Curet, PolitiFact).
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