Harvard Did Not State That Only 1 Of Vaccine-Related Deaths Were Reported
The Claim
The reported number of COVID-19 vaccine deaths in VAERS undercounts the actual number of deaths. According to a Harvard study, only 1% of deaths are reported.
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Emerging story
Social media users have circulated posts claiming the number of COVID-19 vaccine deaths reported in VAERS is an undercount of the actual number of deaths. Users alleged that a Harvard study revealed that only 1% of deaths are reported.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar was unable to find any evidence to back up the circulating claims. The official Harvard website did not contain any information about a study indicating that only 1% of deaths are reported.
Other users mentioned another study by Digital Healthcare Research that tracked patients' health changes following vaccination, but the study did not explain how it calculated 1% of deaths.
According to the Health and Human Services Department, the degree of underreporting in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System varies based on the reported symptoms.
Photo description: The degree of underreporting varies widely depending on the reported symptoms.
Furthermore, VAERS offers free access to a public database to report adverse events related to the COVID-19 vaccine.
VAERS also counted deaths and other adverse events in many reports available on their website.
Doctors and health experts have warned that having an adverse event does not mean that it is because of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that VAERS received between December 14, 2020, and November 29, 2021 VAERS received 10,128 reports of death (0.0022%) among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Photo description: VAERS received 10,128 death report (0.0022%).
