Social media posts cite Ohio State University study to falsely claim that COVID-19 vaccines increase death risk

Multiple social media posts cited a recent Ohio State University study to falsely claim that COVID-19 vaccines increase the risk of death from COVID-19 infection. The study, which was published in Frontiers in Immunology in February, followed 112 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 infections and concluded with caution that hospitalized patients who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 faced a higher mortality rate than hospitalized patients who had not been vaccinated.

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Cherry-picking data is a common tactic vaccine opponents use to discourage vaccination. In this case, vaccine opponents are ignoring the conclusion of this study, in which the researchers wrote, “Although our cohort size is small, our results suggest that vaccination status of hospital-admitted COVID-19 patients may not be instructive in determining mortality risk. This may reflect that within the general population, those individuals at highest risk for COVID-19 mortality/immune failure are likely to be vaccinated.” This conclusion negates social media users’ claims that COVID-19 vaccines increase the risk of death from COVID-19 infections. Talking points with patients may emphasize that COVID-19 vaccines prevent death from COVID-19 infections, as well as severe illness, hospitalization, and long COVID. The CDC recommends the updated COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 6 months and older.