A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Issues: vaccine safety

No Evidence That Flu Shot Increases Risk of COVID-19

No Evidence That Flu Shot Increases Risk of COVID-19
April 27, 2020

A claim being pushed on social media and by an organization skeptical of vaccines is using a military study to falsely suggest that the flu vaccine increases someone’s risk of contracting COVID-19.

Instagram Post Falsely Links Flu Vaccine to Polio

Instagram Post Falsely Links Flu Vaccine to Polio
October 18, 2019

A popular Instagram post falsely claims “over 1,100 people died from reactions to the [flu] shot” in 2018, and suggests that the immunization gave some children polio. The flu vaccine cannot give anyone polio and there is no evidence to support the 1,100 figure.