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Saturday, Jul. 24, 2021

Are all the claims made in a recent lawsuit attempting to restrict use of COVID-19 vaccines supported by evidence?

Lisa Freedland, Gigafact

no

In July, a controversial group called America’s Frontline Doctors, led by a woman arrested for her role in the January storming of the Capitol, filed a lawsuit seeking to suspend COVID-19 vaccinations. In May, the group unsuccessfully petitioned to halt vaccination of children under 16.

Both suits refer to false claims about COVID-19, including:

That the disease poses no health risk to children. American Academy of Pediatrics data suggest that children represent 14.2% of COVID-19 cases, up to 3.6% of hospitalizations and up to 0.26% of deaths.That the vaccines are not effective. Clinical trials recorded an efficacy rate of between 86% and 100% at preventing severe disease, which has been borne out in observed results.That the vaccines are unsafe. Clinical trials encompassing tens of thousands of participants found them to be safe, as has continued monitoring of reported post-vaccination health issues.

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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

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