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The Observations and Thoughts of Vinay Prasad Raise Major Concerns

Why do the observations and thoughts of Vinay Prasad raise major concerns?

Vinay Prasad has been described as a “a useful idiot for antivax propagandists,” as he pushes COVID misinformation that is used by anti-vaccine folks to affirm their beliefs against vaccines.
Vinay Prasad has been described as a “a useful idiot for antivax propagandists,” as he pushes COVID misinformation that is used by anti-vaccine folks to affirm their beliefs against vaccines.

This time, it is because of the way he misrepresents a large COVID vaccine safety study.

The Observations and Thoughts of Vinay Prasad Raise Major Concerns

A complete misrepresentation that prompted Dr. Helen Petousis-Harris, one of the authors to correct all of his false statements!

Vinay Prasad is even more dangerous than most because he actually does sound like he knows what he is talking about.
Vinay Prasad is even more dangerous than most because he actually does sound like he knows what he is talking about.

Now why don’t all researchers do this, instead of relying on fact checkers to defend their work from anti-vaccine influencers?

Vinay Prasad often claims that young, healthy people don't need a COVID vaccine.
Vinay Prasad often claims that young, healthy people didn’t need a COVID vaccine.

Speaking of big errors…

“Second, this analysis does not stratify by demographic group. The increased risk of myocarditis you will see is ACROSS ALL AGES AND GENDERS. That is a big error, when we know it is a problem that plagues young men.”

Vinay Prasad on COVID19 vaccines linked to myocarditis, pericarditis, ITP, Guillain Barre Syndrome, Bell’s Palsy, ADEM, PE, Febrile seizures & more

Dr. Petousis-Harris had a ready answer for this “error” too.

Vinay Prasad missed that the COVID vaccine safety study he was critizing was age and sex stratified.
Vinay Prasad missed that the COVID vaccine safety study he was criticizing was age and sex stratified.

So why are folks like Vinay Prasad criticizing this study?

“In this study including more than 99 million people vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, the risk up to 42 days after vaccination was generally similar to the background risk for the majority of outcomes; however, a few potential safety signals were identified.”

COVID-19 vaccines and adverse events of special interest: A multinational Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN) cohort study of 99 million vaccinated individuals

Because this very large study confirmed that COVID vaccines are safe, with few, very rare severe side effects.

Other Thoughts on Vinay Prasad

Has Vinay Prasad been wrong before?

Not surprisingly, he has…

Vinay Prasad never mentions that the study is mostly talking about febrile seizures, which are rarely harmful for children.
It is telling that Vinay Prasad never mentions that the paper was mostly talking about febrile seizures, which are rarely harmful for children. Nor does he say that febrile seizures are more common after a natural COVID infection…

His MO seems to be to minimize how serious COVID is to most people, especially children and young adults, and like most folks who are anti-vaccine, overstate the side effects of life-saving vaccines.

Jennifer Gunter responded to Vinay Prasad’s How Democracy Ends Holocaust analogy.

And like other anti-vaccine folks, he just had to bring up Hitler and the Holocaust

More on COVID Vaccine Safety

Last Updated on May 8, 2024