SciCheck Digest
O.J. Simpson, a soccer star who was acquitted within the homicide of his ex-wife and her good friend, died of most cancers on April 10 at age 76. Misinformation unfold on-line inside hours of the information. Social media posts falsely claimed that the most cancers was associated to his COVID-19 vaccination. Simpson was vaccinated, however there is no such thing as a proof that vaccination causes most cancers or that it was accountable for his loss of life.
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Conspiracy theorists and vaccine opponents shortly spun the loss of life of O.J. Simpson into anti-vaccination fodder, regardless that his loss of life was unrelated.
Simpson, a soccer star who was acquitted in 1995 of the homicide of his ex-wife and her good friend, died of most cancers at age 76 on April 10, his household introduced on social media the next day.
Inside hours of the announcement, posts started circulating on-line claiming that his loss of life was associated to his vaccination towards COVID-19.
A few of them superior the widespread however false declare that COVID-19 vaccines trigger “turbo most cancers.”
“How’d that vaccine security belt work out for ya OJ? #TurboCancer,” stated one submit on Instagram.
Simpson acquired the COVID-19 vaccine shortly after it grew to become accessible, sharing an image of himself getting the shot in January 2021. He additionally advocated for others to get vaccinated.
However there’s no hyperlink between COVID-19 vaccination and “turbo most cancers,” which is a made-up time period utilized by vaccine opponents on-line. There was no hyperlink between the vaccines and any type of most cancers, for that matter, together with prostate most cancers, which is what Simpson reportedly had.
We’ve written earlier than concerning the false declare that COVID-19 vaccines trigger “turbo most cancers.” It’s price noting that individuals who have most cancers are at a heightened danger for extreme illness and loss of life from COVID-19, and the vaccines can supply safety.
This tactic utilized by social media influencers to tie high-profile deaths, resembling Simpson’s, to vaccination has been taking place because the COVID-19 photographs first rolled out. Listed here are some examples that we’ve written about earlier than:
Henry “Hank” Aaron — Within the first full month that the vaccines had been accessible, January 2021, baseball legend and civil rights activist Hank Aaron died. He died from pure causes, in keeping with the health worker’s workplace in Fulton County, Georgia, and there was no proof that his loss of life was a results of being vaccinated towards COVID-19. However claims falsely connecting his loss of life to the shot swirled on-line.
Betty White — The actress greatest identified for her position within the tv sitcom “The Golden Ladies” died at age 99 on Dec. 31, 2021. White died of pure causes, in keeping with her agent, however numerous falsehoods appeared on social media about White, together with claims that she died after getting a COVID-19 booster shot.
Doug Brignole — A 62-year-old bodybuilder who had coronary heart illness died on Oct. 13, 2022, after contracting COVID-19. “Mr. Brignole’s underlying medical circumstances, together with coronary heart illness from atherosclerosis would have made him much less in a position to tolerate the results of COVID-19, contributing to his loss of life,” in keeping with the Los Angeles County Division of Medical Examiner-Coroner’s report. However vaccine opponents falsely prompt that he died from the COVID-19 vaccine. He didn’t. He had been vaccinated 18 months earlier than his loss of life, and there was nothing linking his loss of life to the vaccine.
Jake Flint — The nation singer died unexpectedly on Nov. 27, 2022, hours after his marriage ceremony. Social media posts baselessly prompt that Flint died due to the COVID-19 vaccine, however the 37-year-old singer acquired his second dose greater than a 12 months earlier than his loss of life. His consultant stated Flint’s loss of life was “not associated in any means” to the vaccine.
Grant Wahl — Wahl, who was a sportswriter, died unexpectedly whereas protecting the soccer World Cup in Qatar on Dec. 9, 2022. Purveyors of vaccine misinformation prompt that his loss of life was brought on by COVID-19 vaccination, however he died from the rupture of an aortic aneurysm that he didn’t know he had, his spouse, Dr. Céline Gounder, wrote in a submit on his Substack on Dec. 14, 2022.
In actual fact, misinformation purveyors are so fast to attempt to tie any loss of life to vaccination that, in a single case, they declared a loss of life that hadn’t even occurred. When Damar Hamlin, a 24-year-old security for the Buffalo Payments, collapsed on the sector throughout a nationally televised recreation, conspiracy theorist Stew Peters prompt that Hamlin had “#DiedSuddenly,” a reference to the widespread, however fully unsupported conspiracy principle that COVID-19 vaccines are killing individuals in giant numbers.
As we’ve defined earlier than, Hamlin stated his docs instructed him he suffered from a cardiac arrest brought on by a blow to his chest.
So, the usage of Simpson’s high-profile loss of life to perpetuate bogus anti-vaccination claims is nothing new.
Editor’s notice: FactCheck.org is one in every of a number of organizations working with Fb to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our earlier tales may be discovered right here. Fb has no management over our editorial content material.
Clarification, April 12: We up to date this story to make clear that Hamlin stated his docs instructed him he suffered from a cardiac arrest brought on by a blow to his chest.
Sources
McFadden, Robert D. “O.J. Simpson, Soccer Star Whose Trial Riveted the Nation, Dies at 76.” New York Instances. 11 Apr 2024.
Simpson, O.J. (@TheRealOJ32). “On April tenth, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with most cancers…” X. 11 Apr 2024.
Simpson, O.J. (@TheRealOJ32). “Get your shot. I obtained mine!!!” X. 29 Jan 2021.
Madani, Doha. “O.J. Simpson, NFL star whose homicide trial gripped the nation, dies of most cancers at 76.” NBC Information. Up to date 12 Apr 2024.
Yandell, Kate. “COVID-19 Vaccines Have Not Been Proven to Trigger ‘Turbo Most cancers.’” FactCheck.org. 31 Aug 2023.
Gore, D’Angelo. “Hank Aaron’s Demise Attributed to Pure Causes.” FactCheck.org. 28 Jan 2021.
Jones, Brea. “Demise of Betty White Results in Swirl of Falsehoods on Social Media.” FactCheck.org. Up to date 11 Jan 2022.
Hale Spencer, Saranac. “Bodybuilder Died from COVID-19, Not the Vaccine as Social Media Posts Declare.” FactCheck.org. 3 Nov 2022.
Jones, Brea. “Nation Singer’s Demise Not Associated to COVID-19 Vaccine.” FactCheck.org. 7 Dec 2022.
Hale Spencer, Saranac. “Grant Wahl Died from Aortic Aneurysm, No Hyperlink to COVID-19 Vaccine.” FactCheck.org. 16 Dec 2022.
