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FACT BRIEF

Does messenger RNA vaccine technology have catastrophic side effects, including death?

By Dana Ford
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NO

Millions of people have gotten COVID-19 mRNA vaccinations and have not suffered catastrophic side effects. The mRNA vaccination has not been causally linked to any deaths, according to the CDC.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work by teaching cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. That response produces antibodies that, in turn, protect from the real virus. When the body is responding to the vaccine, a person may experience some side effects, such as fever, headache and chills. That's normal. Serious side effects can happen but they are rare.

Researchers have been working with mRNA vaccines for decades. They've been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV).

There is nothing to substantiate a claim that mRNA vaccines, which were tested and held to the same safety standards as other vaccines, are unsafe.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
Centers for Disease Control How mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Work
Centers for Disease Control Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.