CLAIM: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly confirmed that at least 118,000 children and young adults have “died suddenly” in the U.S. since the COVID-19 vaccines rolled out.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Excess deaths — the difference between the observed number of deaths and the expected number in a specific period — were higher for those 0 to 44 years old in the U.S. in 2021 and 2022 compared to previous averages. However, the CDC has not attributed this increase to COVID-19 vaccines and experts told The Associated Press that it can likely be attributed to other causes, including more severe variants of the coronavirus. Confirmed reports of deaths caused by vaccination are extremely rare, even with millions of people vaccinated against COVID-19.
THE FACTS: A misleading article spreading widely online this week attempts to link recent child and young adult deaths in the U.S. to COVID-19 vaccines.“CDC quietly confirms at least 118k Children & Young Adults have ‘Died Suddenly’ in the USA since the roll-out of the COVID Vaccines,” reads its headline. The article originally appeared in November on The Exposé, a website that has repeatedly spread COVID-19 misinformation.
A screenshot of the article’s headline was shared in multiple Facebook and Instagram posts. One Instagram post had more than 15,500 likes as of Thursday.
As evidence, the article cites CDC data as published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The intergovernmental...
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