copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: side effects of the [HPV] vaccine outweigh the positives (Anonymous, 2015-11-08)
Evidence (2019-08-07): Widespread claim that HPV vaccine side effects outweigh its benefits misrepresents the scientist it relies on [...] This article, published on Herbs Info and shared more than 350,000 times, claims that HPV vaccines cause serious side effects and death, and that these side effects outweigh the benefits. Further, the article alleges that these claims are supported by statements from one of the scientists who developed the HPV vaccines, Dr. Diane Harper. These claims have also circulated via several other outlets such as The Health Wyze Report and Renegade Tribune. Physicians and scientists who reviewed this article, including Dr. Harper, have stated that these claims are unfounded, explaining that there is no scientific evidence supporting the claim that HPV vaccines cause the "dangerous side effects" that were reported. They also spoke in support of the vaccines’ benefits, highlighting that even simply preventing HPV infection alone would protect individuals from having to live with a sexually transmitted disease that cannot be cured. Reviewers also stated that the HPV vaccine could indeed have the potential to prevent future cases of cervical cancer, supported by recent studies published in 2019[1,2] (one of which is based on modelling and the assumption that vaccine protection is lifelong)&.
Claim: side effects of the [HPV] vaccine outweigh the positives (Anonymous, 2015-11-08)
Evidence (2011-01-25): Minnesota mom Lesley Doehr plans to have her 11-year-old daughter, Sally, vaccinated against HPV. Her pediatrician recommended it, and after reading up on it and talking to other parents, she believes the benefits far outweigh the risks. [...] Gardasil, he says, has been shown to be safe in repeated trials."The benefits of vaccination clearly outweigh any risks," Haupt says. [...] "In our review of available vaccine safety data, FDA and CDC have concluded that the benefits of HPV vaccination continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine is recommended," Vellozzi says.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2023-10-31): To date, there have been more than 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at reducing the risk of severe disease and deathWhile the COVID-19 vaccines have been linked to potentially serious side effects, such as a particular blood clotting disorder and myocarditis, the risk of blood clots and heart inflammation is higher after COVID-19 than after the vaccines. Overall, the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines outweigh their risks.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2023-10-31): FULL CLAIM: "New Study Reveals Covid mRNA Jabs Killed ‘3.5X More Americans Than Virus Itself’"; ‘"Vaccine" killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus’; "Analysis of the first 9,620 responses found 804 deaths from COVID and 2,830 deaths from the COVID vaccine [...] No fancy math is needed to calculate the ratio: 2830/804=3.5X" [...] Based on the responses he received, he concluded that the COVID-19 vaccines had killed 3.5 times more Americans than COVID-19 did: "Analysis of the first 9,620 responses found 804 deaths from COVID and 2,830 deaths from the COVID vaccine. Those results were generated from a minimum of 108,000 people covered by the survey […] No fancy math is needed to calculate the ratio: 2830/804=3.5X." [...] If Kirsch’s claim were true, it would mean that excess deaths from 2020 up until now are roughly 4.9 million (the sum of all COVID-19 deaths so far and alleged vaccine deaths). This figure outstrips actual excess mortality data so far (Figure 4) by about four times. Kirsch’s assertion that the COVID-19 vaccines "killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus", when carried to its logical conclusion, has no basis in reality.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2021-09-14): Kirsch made many allegations in his presentation about the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines. Regarding the Pfizer vaccine, he claimed that a six-month study showed the Pfizer vaccine "killed five people" for each COVID-19 death it prevented. At the hearing, he said the statistic was not statistically significant but was still troubling. [...] COVID-19 has killed nearly 675,000 people in the U.S., and more than 4.5 million worldwide. The vaccines authorized in the U.S. have been shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. And no evidence has established that a COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. caused any deaths. The CDC analyzed vaccine effectiveness across 13 jurisdictions from April 4 to July 17 and matched that data to vaccine registries from those areas. It found that after delta became the most dominant variant of the coronavirus, unvaccinated people were five times more likely to be infected than fully vaccinated people, and more than 10 times more likely to be hospitalized or die.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2022-05-13): The total for the country is stark: Many of the nearly 1 million COVID deaths took place in 2020 before the vaccines were available. But of the more than 641,000 people who died after vaccines were available, half of those deaths could have been averted – 318,981 – had every eligible adult gotten vaccinated. And those numbers are even more striking in certain states where more than half of deaths could have been avoided. [...] The map of states with the most preventable deaths shows a sharp political divide – as NPR has reported, people living in counties that voted for then-President Trump in the 2020 election were three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who lived in counties that voted for President Biden. [...] The national number of vaccine-preventable COVID deaths calculated by Brown and Microsoft exceeds an earlier analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which put that number at 234,000. Cynthia Cox, director of the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker and a co-author of that analysis, tells NPR that differences in methodology may explain the discrepancy.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2022-07-13): An article published on the Daily Sceptic blog reports that a poll has found there have been "twice as many vaccine deaths as Covid deaths in US households." [...] The Daily Sceptic has used the results of this survey to claim that "more than twice as many Americans have lost a household member to a Covid vaccine injury as have lost one to Covid". [...] If this data were to be representative of the US population, it would suggest that the true Covid-19 death toll is far higher than the official figure, and that millions of people have died as a result of the vaccine.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2022-03-08): Covid vaccines not linked to deaths, major US study finds [...] About 4,500 people died after being vaccinated, in the US, up to June 2021. [...] Because Covid jabs were originally authorised in the United States under emergency-use provisions, healthcare providers are required to report all deaths following vaccination, whether a doctor suspects a "plausible" link or not.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2022-11-30): Since April 2022, people vaccinated against COVID-19 have comprised the majority of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. compared with unvaccinated people. [...] A recent Washington Post headline about vaccinated Americans comprising the majority of COVID-19 deaths has been shared widely on social media to suggest that getting vaccinated is worthless. [...] Things have been heading in that direction for a while, with vaccinated Americans steadily making up a greater share of COVID-19 deaths, according to an article Cox co-authored for KFF in April.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2023-04-17): Despite overwhelming evidence that COVID-19 vaccines have mitigated the effects of the pandemic, a report called the Vaccine Damage Project, or V-Damage Project, claims that they led to 310,000 excess deaths among Americans ages 25 through 64 in 2021 and 2022. It also baselessly claims the vaccines had a "significant impact" on the number of Americans with disabilities and that COVID-19 vaccines were the "most likely cause" for a large increase in work absences. [...] Finally, there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines have killed large numbers of people. The Food and Drug Administration and CDC have multiple systems for monitoring vaccine safety, and they have detected very few deaths caused by the vaccines. [...] In fact, the evidence shows that the vaccines have saved lives. Meara pointed to a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that compared death rates in June 2021 through March 2022 in the 10 states with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates with the primary series versus the 10 states with the lowest rates. Per 100,000 people, there were 75 COVID-19 deaths in the most vaccinated states versus 146 in the least vaccinated states. Excess deaths from all causes were also lower in states with a high proportion of vaccinated individuals.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2024-03-18): In the example, we invented numbers to simplify calculating the death rates. However, the same logic applies to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Comparisons of the absolute numbers, as some headlines do, make a mistake known in statistics as a ‘base rate fallacy’: it ignores that one group is much larger than the other. It is important to avoid this mistake, especially now, as in more and more countries, the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 is much larger than the number of unvaccinated people (see our vaccination data). [...] This chart presents the COVID-19 death rate among unvaccinated people (0 doses received), people vaccinated without an updated bivalent booster, and those vaccinated with an updated bivalent booster. [...] This chart presents the COVID-19 death rate among people who are not fully vaccinated, among fully vaccinated people, and among those who additionally received a booster dose.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2024-02-04): The Epoch Times and Children’s Health Defense articles referred to a Jan. 24 research paper that said "for every life saved, there were nearly 14 times more deaths caused by" the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Two of the paper’s authors, Steve Kirsch and Peter McCullough, have often spread misinformation related to COVID-19 and the vaccine. [...] An Instagram post claimed a research paper shows that "mRNA COVID-19 vaccines caused more deaths" than lives saved. [...] PolitiFact, "Activist misuses federal data to make Pants on Fire claim that COVID-19 vaccines killed 676,000," Aug. 14, 2023
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2024-01-09): In a separate Jan. 6 post on X, Weinstein attributed the 17 million figure to research led by Denis Rancourt, a Canadian academic with links to anti-vaccine groups. Rancourt’s study has been described as flawed because it counts all excess deaths that occurred during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and points to the vaccine as the cause of those deaths. It accounts for neither the deaths from the coronavirus itself nor the vaccination status of those who died. [...] AFP, Report falsely claims Covid vaccines killed 17 million worldwide, Oct. 23, 2023 [...] Health Feedback, Analysis claiming to find COVID-19 vaccines killed 17 million people is highly flawed, doesn’t account for COVID-19 mortality surges, Oct. 11, 2023
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2022-05-16): As the U.S. nears one million deaths from COVID-19, analysis finds nearly a third of those deaths could have been prevented — if people had been vaccinated. [...] ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Oh, good morning. I think the great paradox is that the U.S. has played a huge role, an outsized role, in creating the vaccines and creating the medicines, the way out of the pandemic, thanks to the ingenuity of scientists and vaccine makers. But simultaneously, we've been hit so hard due to fragmentation and inequalities in our health care system, as well as vaccine hesitancy, often fueled by politically motivated misinformation. Consider this, A - if you tally up the number of unvaccinated people who died from COVID after vaccines were open to all adults last year, it's about 319,000 lives lost, according to a Brown University analysis. That is nearly one-third of all COVID deaths in the U.S., people who could be alive if they'd gotten vaccinated. I talked to a couple of doctors about this, Nicole Baldwin, a pediatrician in Cincinnati, and Calvin Johnson in Los Angeles.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2023-10-31): Claim that COVID-19 vaccines killed 3.5 times more Americans than COVID-19 is based on a highly flawed online survey; inconsistent with excess mortality data [...] Based on the responses he received, he concluded that the COVID-19 vaccines had killed 3.5 times more Americans than COVID-19 did: "Analysis of the first 9,620 responses found 804 deaths from COVID and 2,830 deaths from the COVID vaccine. Those results were generated from a minimum of 108,000 people covered by the survey […] No fancy math is needed to calculate the ratio: 2830/804=3.5X." [...] If Kirsch’s claim were true, it would mean that excess deaths from 2020 up until now are roughly 4.9 million (the sum of all COVID-19 deaths so far and alleged vaccine deaths). This figure outstrips actual excess mortality data so far (Figure 4) by about four times. Kirsch’s assertion that the COVID-19 vaccines "killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus", when carried to its logical conclusion, has no basis in reality.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2023-11-06): One popular post shared the headline of an article from a notorious spreader of misinformation called the People’s Voice, which falsely claimed: "New Study Reveals Covid mRNA Jabs Killed ‘3.5X More Americans Than Virus Itself.’" The People’s Voice has a history of sharing COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation. [...] According to his Substack post, Kirsch based his false claim that the vaccines have caused more deaths than COVID-19 on the first 9,620 survey responses. He tallied 804 deaths noted in response to the question, "How many people in your EXTENDED family DIED from the COVID virus?" He then prompted people to speculate, asking, "How many people in your EXTENDED family do you believe DIED from COVID vaccine?" In response to this question, people reported 2,830 deaths — around 3.5 times more deaths than were attributed to COVID-19. [...] Dmitry, Baxter. "New Study Reveals Covid mRNA Jabs Killed ‘3.5X More Americans Than Virus Itself.’" The People’s Voice. 26 Oct 2023.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2022-03-13): The Omicron wave has left a global imprinting of immunity which changes the COVID landscape. In this study, we simulate six hypothetical variants emerging over the next year and evaluate the impact of existing and improved vaccines. We base our study on South Africa’s infection- and vaccination-derived immunity. Our findings illustrate that variant-chasing vaccines will only add value above existing vaccines in the setting where a variant emerges if we can shorten the window between variant introduction and vaccine deployment to under three weeks, an impossible time-frame without significant NPI use. This strategy may have global utility, depending on the rate of spread from setting to setting. Broadly neutralizing and durable next-generation vaccines could avert over three-times as many deaths from an immune-evading variant compared to existing vaccines. Our results suggest it is crucial to develop next-generation vaccines and redress inequities in vaccine distribution to tackle future emerging variants.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2021-03-26): The VA-enrolled CURRENT eligible population is about 9.5 million. To-date, VA has vaccinated not quite 1.6 million. The new law expands the population eligible to 33m; almost 3.5x times the number that they are at 17% on…..at 200k per week of first-shot allotment. That 200k number comes from this para in the release:"VA currently receives approximately 200,000 first, or single doses, of COVID-19 vaccine each week. VA estimates that it will need a minimum of 300,000 first or single doses of COVID-19 vaccine weekly to offer COVID-19 vaccination to an additional three million Veterans who are enrolled but not currently using VA health care. VA estimates that it will need approximately 600,000 first, or single doses, of COVID-19 vaccine each week to further expand vaccination to all individuals outlined in HR1276. First or single dose supply is the best indicator of VA’s capacity to offer expanded COVID-19 vaccination."
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2022-12-23): "Secret CDC Report reveals at least 1.1 Million Americans have 'Died Suddenly' since the COVID Vaccine roll-out & another Government Report proves the COVID Vaccines are to blame," reads the article's headline. [...] Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that COVID-19 vaccines caused 1.1 million excess deaths in the U.S. Public health data points to the disease as a major contributor to excess deaths, not the vaccine. Research shows the vaccines to be safe and effective at preventing deaths. The claim originated with a website that has repeatedly made false claims about COVID-19.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2022-05-12): The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) recently released an infographic about American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Data on COVID-19 on the NCUIH website. This document shows the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on AI/ANs and Indian Country’s success with vaccinations for the virus. Native communities face some of the harshest disparities in health outcomes of any population in the U.S. and are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of COVID-19 on American Indian and Alaska Native health will continue beyond the pandemic. Loss of American Indian and Alaska Native lives—especially the loss of elders—means loss of Native culture, including language, ceremonies, and more. [...] American Indians and Alaska Natives have infection rates over 3.5 times higher than non-Hispanic whites, are over 3.2 times more likely to be hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 and have higher rates of mortality at younger ages than non-Hispanic whites.
Claim: Vaccine killed 3.5X more Americans than COVID virus (Steve Kirsch, 2023-10-31)
Evidence (2021-12-09): An analysis by NPR shows a parallel result: counties that voted for Trump in 2020 had much higher COVID death rates than those that went for Biden. The explanation: low vaccination rates fueled by COVID misinformation. [...] Cases of COVID-19 remain far more common in unvaccinated people, though the difference is narrowing somewhat. The report shows that the rate of COVID-19 in unvaccinated people is 3.5 times higher than in vaccinated people, down from a four-time differnce. To date, there have been 47,687 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases in Oregon out of a total of 399,361.. Where the vaccines really make a difference is in preventing serious COVID cases. Nearly all breakthrough cases show no symptoms, or symptoms that are relatively mild. Once again, just 4.4% of the relatively small number of vaccine breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and just 1.2% have died.
Claim: “Mask study published by NIH suggests N95 Covid masks may expose wearers to dangerous level of toxic compounds linked to seizures and cancer” (Emily Joshu, 2023-08-27)
Evidence (2023-08-27): Scientific evidence shows wearing a face mask reduces the spread of COVID-19. Wearing a face mask also doesn’t significantly impede the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, as gas molecules are many times smaller than the pores of even an N95 mask. COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through infectious liquid particles spread from infected to uninfected individuals. Masks act as simple physical barriers that reduce the dissemination of these liquid particles, which are generated by people when they cough, sneeze, or speak.
Claim: “Mask study published by NIH suggests N95 Covid masks may expose wearers to dangerous level of toxic compounds linked to seizures and cancer” (Emily Joshu, 2023-08-27)
Evidence (2022-02-15): Investigation of actual exposure to facial sheet mask preceding its risk assessment [...] Wearing face masks is an important and widely applied public health measure to control the COVID-19 pandemic1. A recent study, testing several batches of face masks intended to be put on sale as personal protective equipment, showed that 70% of the examined face masks contained TiO2 in quantities ranging from 100 to 2000 mg kg−12. This suggests that TiO2 is commonly applied in textiles of face masks, as in a wide variety of other textiles, e.g. to improve stability to ultraviolet light, as white colorant or as a matting agent3,4. In addition, to introduce new solutions to the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, textile companies are incorporating specific nanofiber, nanocomposite and nanoparticle technology into face masks5,6. Nanofibers containing TiO2 nanoparticles have been produced to create antimicrobial filters7, also in combination with silver8 and graphene9. Coatings of TiO2 nanoparticles on cotton fabric were applied for enhanced self-cleaning and antibacterial properties10. [...] Chua, M. H. et al. Face masks in the new COVID-19 normal: Materials, testing, and perspectives. Research2020, 1–40 (2020).
Claim: “Mask study published by NIH suggests N95 Covid masks may expose wearers to dangerous level of toxic compounds linked to seizures and cancer” (Emily Joshu, 2023-08-27)
Evidence (2024-05-30): COLLEGE PARK, Md. – In a head-to-head comparison of masks worn by people with active COVID-19, the inexpensive "duckbill" N95 came out on top, stopping 98% of COVID-19 particles in the breath of infected people from escaping into the air. Led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health (SPH), results showed other masks also performed well, blocking at least 70% of viral particles from escaping from the source – an infected person’s exhaled breath. [...] "The research shows that any mask is much better than no mask, and an N95 is significantly better than the other options. That’s the number one message," says the study’s senior author, Dr. Donald Milton. Milton is a UMD SPH professor of environmental health and a global expert on how viruses spread through the air. [...] "Data from our study suggests that a mildly symptomatic person with COVID-19 who is not wearing a mask exhales a little over two infectious doses per hour," says first author Dr. Jianyu Lai, a postdoctoral researcher at the PHAB Lab. "But when wearing an N95 mask, the risk goes down exponentially."