A speaker who was not associated with the FDA made an unproven claim during the open public comment portion of a live-streamed FDA advisory board meeting hearing on Sept.17. The speaker claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines are killing at least two people for every person they save.
The deceptive videos and posts regarding the claim have been shared widely on Facebook especially in conservative groups. Anti-vaccination groups are also quick to say that the FDA panel itself admitted to the information.
But, the claims are completely false, Oregon Live reported.
FDA Experts Refuted The Claim
The claim is that experts with the U.S. FDA admitted that the COVID-19 vaccines are killing at least two people for every person they save. This claim is strongly contested by the FDA experts and said that none of the experts said this, according to an email sent to Associated Press.
The 15-member panel of outside experts conducted the eight-hour streamed meeting to make recommendations regarding the administering of booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Days after the meeting, social media users and bloggers quickly started misquoting the statements from the FDA panelists during the live stream when in fact, it was made by an independent speaker during the public comment segment of the meeting.
Speaker Who Made The Statement Is Not Part Of The FDA Panel
The person, identified as Steve Kirsch, who made the claim during the open public hearing portion of the meeting, is an independent speaker not associated with the FDA.
FDA press officer Abby Capobianco confirmed that none of the comments during the open public hearing session came from any of the FDA employees or advisory committee members. She also said that the agency did not screen the comments made by speakers in the open public hearing portion of the meeting.
Kirsch, to further support his unsubstantiated claim, referenced data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a CDC – and FDA – run database of unverified reports of adverse events that happened after a person receives a vaccine.
However, the VAERS system does not identify if a vaccine really is the cause of events that are reported.
According to Capobianco, the FDA requires health care providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination to VAERS, “even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause.”
Kirsch did not respond when asked for a comment regarding the issue.
Research Shows COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe And Effective
More than 380 million COVID-19 doses have already been administered across the U.S. According to the FDA, reports of death after receiving vaccines are rare. The research reveals that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious COVID-19 illness and death.
The vaccines also continue to give strong protection against the highly transmissible Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, according to experts.
Also Read: FDA Approves Booster Shot Of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine For Americans 65 And Older
