Last month, a research study was published suggesting coronavirus vaccines were linked to heart inflammation, giving fuel to a number of anti-vaccination websites — but that study is now being retracted due to an enormous miscalculation by the study’s authors.
The University of Ottawa Heart Institute paper, which was published on September 16 before being peer-reviewed, erroneously claimed that 1 in 1,000 people who received an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed a heart inflammation condition called myocarditis.
The paper was subsequently shared by a number of anti-vaccination blogs and social media profiles, including a far-right U.K. website that suggested “over 3,000 children in the UK could suffer” from myocarditis because of the mRNA vaccines.
But the paper’s conclusion was based on the false assertion that researchers had observed 32,379 vaccine doses over a two-month period of time, during which around 32 instances of myocarditis were identified. However, the study had actually observed over 854,000 mRNA vaccinations in that time frame.
The error is a considerable one. Instead of 1 in 1,000 vaccinated individuals developing myocarditis, as the paper initially stated, the figure is closer to 1 in 26,688 — meaning that the authors vastly overstated the possibility of developing heart inflammation.
In reality, the risks that come with getting vaccinated for getting protection against COVID are far less significant than the risks of not getting vaccinated. In fact, a person is more likely to develop myocarditis after contracting COVID-19 than they are after getting vaccinated.
Vaccine hesitancy remains high in the U.S., where just 65 percent of Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine since they were made publicly available earlier this year. According to recent numbers from the polling organization Morning Consult, 18 percent of Americans say they will never get a COVID vaccine, while another 10 percent say they’re still hesitant about doing so.
Misinformation about side effects could be driving those hesitancy numbers up. Thirty-five percent of adults who were “uncertain” about getting vaccinated against COVID cited worries about purported side effects, and 25 percent of adults who said they would never get vaccinated claimed that potential side effects were the reason why.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
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Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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