Post exaggerates global deaths, then blames them on the COVID vaccine | Fact check

Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read
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The claim: A billion people have died since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout

A video from The People's Voice posted to Facebook on Oct. 26 (direct link, archive link) claims the human population has declined significantly over the last few years. On-screen text included in the video reads, "Global population reduced by 1 billion since 2021 − Media Blackout."

The post's caption reiterates that figure, stating, "1 billion people around the world are now dead (poisoned) since the rollout of the covid jab."

The post was shared more than 8,000 times in two weeks.

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Our rating: False

Fewer than 260 million people have died globally from all causes since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in late 2020, according to United Nations data and mortality projections. The video was posted by a website that regularly publishes fabricated stories.

Actual global deaths were fraction of those claimed in post

The Earth has around eight billion people. If the claim made in the post were true, that would mean roughly one in eight people would have died since late 2020 when the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began.

But Patrick Gerland, a population researcher at the U.N., says U.N. data shows about 60 to 70 million people have died annually from all causes in recent years.

  • Deaths in 2020: 63.2 million

  • Deaths in 2021: 69.2 million

  • Deaths in 2022: 67.1 million

  • Projected deaths in 2023: 60.8 million

Only projected mortality data was available for 2023. Even if all deaths in 2020 and all projected deaths in 2023 are included in the count, official estimates show there have been around 260 million deaths, not a billion, since the COVID-19 vaccines became available.

Nearly 7 million deaths from COVID-19 have been reported to the World Health Organization as of Nov. 2.

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USA TODAY has previously debunked inaccurate claims connecting the COVID-19 vaccines to mass deaths. In reality, serious adverse reactions to them are rare, according to multiple studies. Various studies have estimated that the COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives.

The People's Voice, previously known as NewsPunch, has repeatedly published fabricated stories, including many USA TODAY has debunked.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

AAP also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 vaccines have saved, not killed, millions | Fact check