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No, the coronavirus vaccines in development haven’t killed children
If Your Time is short
• There is no evidence that children have died because of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• No vaccine currently in development has been approved for widespread public use.
• There is no evidence the vaccines in development will contain microchips.
There’s still no proven, publicly available vaccine for the coronavirus, but misinformation about it is already coursing through the internet.
One recent Facebook post shares an image containing inflammatory claims about a coronavirus vaccine that might one day be available to the public.
"The covid-19 vaccine will be mandatory in order to go back too school. They will contain RFID Chips," the image in the post reads. It continues: "Many kids will die from the covid-19 vaccine. Just to remind you the 4 kids that took the vaccine, died immediately."
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The claims in the post are speculative and misleading in a number of ways, and have been debunked by another fact-checking organization.
COVID-19 has killed more than half a million people worldwide, including nearly 130,000 in the U.S. Companies around the world are scrambling to develop a vaccine, and many potential vaccines are undergoing safety trials in humans.
Health officials are struggling to reassure some skeptics that a vaccine can be developed quickly without compromising safety.
As of June 30, only one coronavirus vaccine had been approved for limited use. The Chinese government has approved it only for military personnel.
Currently there is no coronavirus vaccine that has been approved for the American public. And there is no evidence that children have died because they received one of the COVID-19 vaccines being developed.
Featured Fact-check
In April, PolitiFact investigated a claim that seven children in Senegal died after receiving COVID-19 vaccines and discovered the Facebook post’s claim was false.
In May, Reuters also reported that social media posts were incorrect in claiming that a TV news report from 2019 showed the deadly results of a COVID-19 vaccination trial in Guinea.
PolitiFact found no evidence that anyone has died from complications related to a trial COVID-19 vaccination.
PolitiFact has also debunked several false claims involving the coronavirus vaccine and microchips. The U.S. isn’t developing an "antivirus" for COVID-19 that will include an RFID chip, for example. There’s also no evidence that Democrats are pushing for mandatory vaccinations or microchip implants to fight the coronavirus.
And there is no evidence yet of any requirement that students be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to school, though some states could require it if a vaccine becomes available.
State laws govern immunization requirements for schoolchildren, including those in private schools and daycare centers, but all states allow exemptions for medical reasons, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and some allow exemptions for religious or philosophical reasons.
A viral image on Facebook claimed, "Many kids will die from the covid-19 vaccine. Just to remind you the 4 kids that took the vaccine, died immediately."
There is no evidence that children have died because of the coronavirus vaccines in development, or that a future vaccine will contain microchips.
We rate this claim False.
Our Sources
New York Times, "Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker," accessed June 30, 2020
Reuters, "Fact check: Four children have not died from a COVID-19 vaccine containing microchips," June 24, 2020
PolitiFact, "No, seven children in Senegal didn’t die after COVID-19 vaccines," April 13, 2020
PolitiFact, "No, Democrats aren’t pushing microchips to fight coronavirus," April 23, 2020
PolitiFact, "No, the US isn’t developing a vaccine or ‘antivirus’ with a chip to track people," April 3, 2020
Reuters, "False claim: video shows aftermath of fatal COVID-19 vaccination in Guinea," May 1, 2020
Wisconsin Public Radio, "Will Wisconsin Kids Need An Eventual COVID-19 Vaccine To Go To School? History Has Some Answers," June 12, 2020
CNN, "Beijing approves experimental Covid-19 vaccine for use in Chinese military," June 30, 2020
CDC, "State School and Childcare Vaccination Laws," accessed July 1, 2020
Washington Post, "Trump’s promise of ‘Warp Speed’ fuels anti-vaccine movement in fertile corners of the Web," May 20, 2020
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No, the coronavirus vaccines in development haven’t killed children
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