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Have COVID-19 vaccines caused all COVID-19 deaths in Canada? No
If Your Time is short
- More than 50,000 people in Canada have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic started, and 400 deaths following COVID-19 vaccination have been reported there. Of the 400, the government has identified only four that are connected to the vaccine.
Canada’s government has not published data showing that all COVID-19 deaths in the country are caused by COVID-19 vaccines, despite claims spreading online.
"100% of COVID deaths in Canada now due to mRNA vaccine, new data shows," reads a screenshot of a Feb. 2 headline shared Feb. 5 on Instagram.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The blog post with that headline provides no evidence for this claim. We asked the Public Health Agency of Canada about the allegation and the agency’s media relations office directed us to reported side effects from all types of COVID-19 vaccines, not just mRNA, through Jan. 6, the most recent date with available data.
Since the pandemic started, more than 50,000 people in Canada have died from COVID-19.
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Four hundred deaths following COVID-19 vaccination also have been reported in Canada. Of those, four were classified as "consistent with causal association to immunization" after being reviewed by scientific and medical professionals, according to the email from Public Health Agency of Canada.
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As for the other deaths following vaccination, "Simply because a death occurred following immunization does not mean the vaccine or vaccination caused that death," the agency said in an email.
The agency added that "vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19 infection."
We rate the claim that "100% of COVID deaths in Canada now due to mRNA vaccine" False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Feb. 5, 2023
The European Union Times, 100% of COVID deaths in Canada now due to mRNA vaccine, new data shows, Feb. 2, 2023
Government of Canada, Reported side effects following COVID-19 vaccination in Canada, visited Feb. 9, 2023
Government of Canada, COVID-19 epidemiology update: Key updates, last updated Jan. 26, 2023
Emails from Health Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada media relations, Feb. 9-10, 2023
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Have COVID-19 vaccines caused all COVID-19 deaths in Canada? No
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