Suggests there have been 17 million deaths from the COVID-19 vaccines.
Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
Pfizer coronavirus vaccines before being administered. (AP)
COVID-19 vaccines saved lives, did not cause 17 million deaths
If Your Time is short
The 17 million figure comes from research that experts have said is flawed because it counts excess deaths during the COVID-19 vaccine’s rollout without accounting for deaths from the virus.
Multiple studies show the COVID-19 vaccines saved lives.
No spin, just facts you can trust. Here's how we do it.
Three years after the first COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out, harmful misinformation about their effects persists on social media.
On Instagram, a user shared a screenshot of a post on X by the Tucker Carlson Network that says, "17 million deaths from the COVID vax?" It also says, "Bret Weinstein tells Tucker Carlson, ‘I saw a credible estimate of something like 17 million deaths globally.’" It includes a screenshot from former Fox News host Carlson’s interview with Weinstein, an author.
The Jan. 9 Instagram post’s caption said, "I don’t know how accurate this is, but what I do know is (the COVID-19 vaccine) has destroyed the lives of millions and all by design." The claim was shared by an Instagram account that has previously shared anti-vaccine posts.
The post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Medical experts and the World Health Organization agree that COVID-19 vaccines reduced the number of people who would have died from the coronavirus and did not cause widespread deaths.
Featured Fact-check
