In a widely circulated social media post, a user claimed to have observed numerous heart attacks and strokes among young people while working at a hospital on a North Dakota Native reservation. The user attributed these medical emergencies to the COVID-19 vaccine. Some social media users commented on the post...
A bill introduced into the Illinois House last week aims to amend the Illinois Clinical Laboratory and Blood Bank Act. The proposed changes would require blood banks to test donated blood for evidence of COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA vaccine components. Blood donors would also be required to disclose whether they...
Recent changes to the South Dakota Department of Health’s Community Health Services and the Women, Infants, and Children program have resulted in counties losing community health nurses. This has led to a decline in vaccination rates. Social media users are applauding the decline in vaccination rates and expressing concerns...
The Kenosha County, Wisconsin Board of Supervisors approved a policy that prevents the county’s health officer from imposing lockdowns and mask and vaccine mandates during future public health crises. The policy states that the county will not use its resources voluntarily to support state or federal mandates, complying only...
Two individuals have died from the flu in Indiana, according to the Indiana Department of Health. The department has urged residents to get vaccinated against influenza, highlighting that there were more than 270 deaths in the previous flu season. The announcement sparked a social media debate on the efficacy and...
A retracted study of COVID-19 vaccines has resurfaced online. This occurred in the wake of reports that the study’s author had been cleared after an investigation into his research practices. The study had estimated vaccine-related deaths as high as 278,000 in the U.S., but it was later...
The Michigan Senate has passed Senate Bill 410. This bill would repeal Michigan's law granting drug manufacturers broad immunity from product liability claims if their products are approved by the FDA. Michigan is currently the only state with such a law, which has shielded pharmaceutical companies from liability...
Measles cases have emerged in Wisconsin and Illinois, drawing prompt responses from health officials. Some social media posts attribute the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases to vaccine opponents’ denial of widely accepted public health practices, while others attribute the outbreak to immigration. Some social media posts falsely equated measles with chickenpox,...
A so-called health freedom group in Michigan has falsely claimed that the only people who need the hepatitis B vaccine are sex workers and people who use intravenous drugs. The group argues that children do not need the vaccine, even though children can contract hepatitis B by putting infected items...
North Dakota State Senator Doug Larsen died in a plane crash on October 1, along with his wife and two children. The crash occurred shortly after takeoff and is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Despite the ongoing investigation, vaccine opponents on social media speculate that the senator’...
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