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The Union flag is lowered on the Palace of Westminster in London after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. She was Britain's longest-reigning monarch, serving 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP)
Claims Queen Elizabeth died because of the COVID-19 vaccine spread without evidence
If Your Time is short
- Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 on Sept. 8, but rumors that it was because of a COVID-19 vaccine are unfounded.
Over the years, PolitiFact has debunked several death hoaxes about Queen Elizabeth II, but on Sept. 8, Buckingham Palace announced that she had died at age 96.
The royal family has not specified a cause of death, but on Twitter, unfounded claims that her passing is connected to the COVID-19 vaccine proliferated.
"The Covid vaccines target old people, look at the queen," one tweet said.
"The queen was poisoned with vaccine," another said.
Here’s what we know.
Featured Fact-check
The palace said "the queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon." Elizabeth spent several weeks each summer at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and the palace announced hours before her death that she was under medical supervision there.
Her son, now King Charles III, said in a statement posted on Twitter that he and his family "mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother." He didn’t mention the COVID-19 vaccine.
Elizabeth and her late husband, Prince Philip, were first vaccinated against COVID-19 in January 2021. She tested positive for COVID-19 about a year later. News reports then noted that she had been fully vaccinated and received a booster shot by the time of her diagnosis.
In the months since, media reported on health issues affecting the queen — especially COVID-19 — but there was nothing about a vaccine endangering her life.
Older adults are more likely to get severely sick from COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and people 65 and older who received both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines showed a 94% reduced risk of being hospitalized because of the disease. Studies have shown that the vaccines are safe and that severe side effects, including death, are rare.
Claims that the queen died because of the COVID-19 vaccine lack evidence. We rate them False.
Our Sources
Tweet, Sept. 8, 2022
Tweet, Sept. 8, 2022
Town & Country, Inside the Royals' favorite Scottish getaway, Balmoral Castle, Sept. 7, 2022
BBC, Queen under medical supervision at Balmoral, Sept. 8, 2022
NBC News, Queen Elizabeth II’s death live updates: Britain mourns longest-serving monarch, Sept. 8, 2022
Associated Press, Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for COVID-19, Feb. 20, 2022
New York Times, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip receive vaccinations in Britain, Jan. 9, 2021
Buckingham Palace website, visited Sept. 8, 2022
Royal Family tweet, Sept. 8, 2022
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination, updated Sept. 6, 2022
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 Risks and Vaccine Information for Older Adults, last reviewed Aug. 4, 2021
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Claims Queen Elizabeth died because of the COVID-19 vaccine spread without evidence
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