Ohio doctor who promoted false claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety has medical license reinstated

An Ohio doctor whose medical license was suspended last year after she promoted false claims about vaccine safety had her medical license reinstated last week. Some social media users are celebrating the reinstatement of the doctor’s license and stating that she was falsely accused of being a “conspiracy theorist.” The doctor previously claimed that COVID-19 vaccines can make people magnetic and lead to serious illnesses like ALS and cancer.

Recommendation: Social media posts about this doctor are recirculating her false claims, which may prompt patient questions about COVID-19 vaccine safety. Messaging may emphasize that COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any magnetic ingredients and do not make recipients’ bodies magnetic. Additionally, there is no increase in cancer diagnoses, progression of the disease, or deaths after COVID-19 vaccination. Explaining that COVID-19 vaccines and their ingredients have been rigorously tested and determined to be safe—as adverse effects are extremely rare—is recommended. The CDC recommends the updated COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 6 months and older to protect against severe illness, hospitalization, death, and long COVID.