fact finder
Whether applications for vaccine damage or suspected cases of side effects: figures without context are used again and again to stir up fears about vaccinations. The patterns appear internationally.
Since the start of the corona vaccination campaign, more than 1,200 applications for state benefits after possible vaccination damage have been made nationwide. According to a report in the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”, only a few of the applications have so far been decided – namely 54. Of these, 18 have been approved. 30 applications were rejected, three were submitted due to jurisdiction and one was dealt with for other reasons. No details are available on individual cases and the severity of the damage or the amount of compensation.
According to the Infection Protection Act, vaccination damage is “the health and economic consequence of damage to health caused by the vaccination that goes beyond the usual extent of a vaccination reaction”. This does not include common reactions such as headaches, chills or fever.
Absolute numbers mean little
However, the number of applications alone says little about the safety of vaccines. As tragic as individual cases with severe side effects or deaths are, a meaningful risk assessment can only be made in relation to the total number of vaccinations.
So far, the 1,200 applications – most of which have not yet been checked – come to more than 155 million vaccinations in Germany – so mathematically there is an application for more than 125,000 vaccinations.
Lots of unvaccinated up intensive care units
This risk assessment is in turn related to the benefits of the vaccinations. Current evaluations show that the minority of unvaccinated people make up the majority of patients in intensive care units.
The Paul Ehrlich Institute, which is responsible for vaccine safety, therefore summed up in its most recent safety report: “According to the current state of knowledge, serious side effects are very rare and do not change the positive benefit-risk ratio of the vaccines.”
“Ten to 15 percent” are confirmed
But it is precisely this context that is ignored if only the absolute number of applications is used to stir up fear. This has been observed in Austria, among other places, in the past few weeks. According to the ORF, a total of almost 370 people applied for compensation there by the end of 2021, most of which related to corona vaccinations. The damages complained of include harmless cases of side effects, but also the occurrence of heart muscle inflammation and sinus vein thrombosis.
It is known from the past that about “ten to 15 percent” of applications, i.e. about one in ten, are dealt with positively, said vaccine expert and infectiologist Herwig Kollaritsch the ORF. It should be borne in mind that 350 applications – converted to the number of corona vaccinations given – mean approximately one application for every 50,000 vaccinations, emphasized the expert. In all cases, medical reports must now be used to check how likely it is that the vaccination actually led to side effects in each specific case.
Vaccination skeptics often only use the absolute number of applications without any context on social media to stir up fears of side effects.
Suspected cases are not confirmed cases
A similar pattern emerges for possible side effects. In this way, corresponding suspected cases can be reported. These are then checked in order to be able to record particularly rare side effects. However, the sheer number of untested suspected cases says little about the safety of the vaccines. Nevertheless, such untested suspected cases are repeatedly exploited. With misleading information about alleged vaccine deaths, attempts are also made to portray vaccination as dangerous.
These patterns can be observed internationally. In the USA reported the site “WorldNetDaily’s”which had already attracted attention with misleading reports, the number of unchecked suspected cases from a database – and claimed that these were confirmed damage caused by the vaccinations. A fact check classified this representation as false. All reported suspected cases are listed in the database – regardless of whether they are plausible. In addition, opponents of vaccination are calling on various platforms and channels to report alleged side effects.
“I can get vaccinated and my dog gets hit by a car,” said Daniel Salmon, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University. “I can report this and it will show up in the database,” Salmon said. “But that doesn’t mean the vaccination is the cause of my dog getting hit.”
Accordingly, the suspected cases reported must first be checked in order to be able to seriously assess the risks.