An Instagram post circulating on social media has claimed that COVID-19 vaccines can decrease life expectancy by up to 24 years, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, this claim is false and has no basis in the available evidence.
The claim originated from an article published on a website known for spreading vaccine-related misinformation. The article referenced a study on the effectiveness of a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine among Cleveland Clinic employees, but this study did not address life expectancy. Additionally, the claim misinterpreted provisional mortality data released by the CDC, which showed a decrease in the overall age-adjusted death rate from 2021 to 2022, not an increase linked to vaccines.
The CDC’s stance on COVID-19 vaccines remains consistent – they are deemed safe and effective, based on extensive clinical trials involving thousands of participants. There is no mention of vaccines leading to a shortened life expectancy on the CDC’s official website.
It is important to note that COVID-19 itself has been a contributing factor in the decline of life expectancy. In 2020, life expectancy fell by 1.8 years, followed by a further decline of 0.6 years in 2021.
This claim has been debunked by reputable fact-checkers and news outlets, including USA TODAY and AFP.
Sources:
- MedRXiv, March 22, “Effectiveness of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Bivalent Vaccine”
- Yale Medicine, May 22, “Comparing the COVID-19 Vaccines: How Are They Different?”
- CDC, May 5, “Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2022”
- CDC, Dec. 8, 2022, “Mortality in the United States, 2021”
- CDC, Sept. 12, 2023, “Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines”
- CDC, Sept. 12, 2023, “Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccine”
- CDC, Sept. 12, 2023, “Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination”
- USA TODAY, Dec. 22, 2022, “Americans’ life expectancy continues to fall, erasing health gains of the last quarter century”
- USA TODAY, Dec. 22, 2022, “Nearly 107,000 drug overdoses, COVID deaths, push US life expectancy to lowest in 25 years”
