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Hamlin’s collapse spurs new wave of vaccine misinformation
By ALI SWENSON, DAVID KLEPPER and SOPHIA TULP
January 4, 2023
A person leaves flowers for the display set-up for Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin outside of University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in Cincinnati. Hamlin was taken to the hospital after collapsing on the field during the Bill's NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Unfounded claims about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines proliferated in the hours and days after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during Monday’s game, revealing how pervasive vaccine misinformation remains three years after the pandemic began.
Even before Hamlin was carried off the field in Cincinnati, posts amassing thousands of shares and millions of views began circulating online claiming without evidence that complications from COVID-19 vaccines caused his health emergency.
While cardiac specialists say it’s too soon to know what caused Hamlin’s heart to stop, they’ve offered a rare type of trauma called commotio cordis as among the possible culprits. Physicians interviewed by The Associated Press say there’s no indication Hamlin’s vaccine status played a role, and said there’s no evidence to support claims that a number of young athletes have died as a result of COVID vaccinations.
Bills' Damar Hamlin injury
CES tech show
Death of Benedict XVI
Russia-Ukraine war
Search
Hamlin’s collapse spurs new wave of vaccine misinformation
By ALI SWENSON, DAVID KLEPPER and SOPHIA TULP
January 4, 2023
A person leaves flowers for the display set-up for Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin outside of University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in Cincinnati. Hamlin was taken to the hospital after collapsing on the field during the Bill's NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
ADVERTISEMENT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unfounded claims about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines proliferated in the hours and days after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during Monday’s game, revealing how pervasive vaccine misinformation remains three years after the pandemic began.
Even before Hamlin was carried off the field in Cincinnati, posts amassing thousands of shares and millions of views began circulating online claiming without evidence that complications from COVID-19 vaccines caused his health emergency.
While cardiac specialists say it’s too soon to know what caused Hamlin’s heart to stop, they’ve offered a rare type of trauma called commotio cordis as among the possible culprits. Physicians interviewed by The Associated Press say there’s no indication Hamlin’s vaccine status played a role, and said there’s no evidence to support claims that a number of young athletes have died as a result of COVID vaccinations.