COVID-19 Vaccines: Side Effects, Deaths, and Conspiracy Claims

Standfirst: What’s real, what’s rare, and what’s wrong online. This reader guide keeps sources next to claims so you can verify every step.

TL;DR

• Most side effects are mild. A few rare, serious events are real and documented by regulators.
• mRNA: small myocarditis/pericarditis signal—highest in young males after dose 2; most recover well (CDC).
• Adenovirus-vector (AstraZeneca/J&J): very rare clotting syndrome (TTS/VITT) and a small GBS signal; many countries limited use; J&J’s EUA was withdrawn in 2023 (EMA safety update, PDF, FDA Janssen page).
• Regulators have confirmed very few deaths after vaccination; Australia’s TGA reports 14 vaccine-linked deaths through Aug 20, 2023 (TGA report).
• Large cohorts do not show higher all-cause mortality after vaccination; infection risks for some heart/clot outcomes are higher than vaccine risks (BMJ on ONS study, Lancet myocarditis risk).
• Pregnancy/fertility: Big studies show no rise in major congenital malformations or neonatal harms with mRNA vaccination in pregnancy (JAMA cohort).
• Myths: microchips, DNA changes, and “shedding” are unsupported by evidence (CDC basics).

At a glance: real risks, how rare, what we know

Reader tip: Adverse-event reports (e.g., VAERS) are not proof of causation. Regulators do separate causality assessments (CDC VAERS explainer, VAERS data guide).

Findings

1. mRNA-associated myocarditis is rare and skewed to young males after dose 2; most cases recover fully. See CDC clinical page and prognosis data.
   Sources: CDC myocarditis • ACC/AHA scan.
2. For many heart/clot outcomes, infection risks exceed vaccine risks. Large analyses comparing like-for-like groups show higher myocarditis risk after SARS-CoV-2 infection than after vaccination (age/sex/dose matter).
   Sources: Lancet comparative risk • ACC/AHA scan.
3. AstraZeneca/J&J carried rare TTS/VITT and a small GBS signal; use was limited and J&J’s EUA was withdrawn in 2023.
   Sources: EMA Vaxzevria safety update (PDF) • FDA Janssen page.
4. Confirmed vaccine-attributable deaths are very rare. In Australia, the TGA has confirmed 14 deaths linked to vaccination up to 2023-08-20; none newly confirmed since 2022.
   Sources: TGA 24-Aug-2023 report • TGA safety hub.
5. All-cause mortality is not elevated by COVID vaccination. National studies and meta-analyses show no overall mortality increase post-vaccination (with subgroup nuances still studied).
   Source: BMJ on ONS analysis.
6. Pregnancy and newborn outcomes: Large cohorts show no increase in major congenital malformations or neonatal mortality with mRNA vaccination during pregnancy; no evidence of reduced fertility.
   Source: JAMA neonatal outcomes (Nordic).
7. How to read adverse-event databases (VAERS/Yellow Card). These systems are signal-finding; anyone can file; duplicates and unverified reports exist; reports ≠ causation.
   Sources: CDC VAERS explainer • VAERS data guide.

Myths vs facts

• “Vaccines change your DNA.” mRNA works in the cytoplasm and doesn’t alter genes (CDC basics).
• “VAERS proves X deaths.” VAERS is for signals; causality is determined separately (CDC VAERS).
• “Excess deaths prove vaccines are deadly.” Misreads of population stats; independent reviews reject that claim (Reuters fact-check).

How to read claims online

Ask three quick questions:
1) Is there a primary source (regulator, peer-reviewed paper, or official record)?
2) Are numbers compared fairly (per-100k rates, same age/sex groups, same time windows)—not cherry-picked?
3) Is the dataset designed for causality—or only for signal-finding (like VAERS)?

Method notes

We centre regulator reports (CDC/FDA/EMA/TGA) and large peer-reviewed cohorts. We do not rely on raw social posts or unverified spreadsheets. Counts of “reports” are not counts of confirmed cases. (CDC)

Confidence label