
Headline: Study Suggests Higher Death Rates Among Pfizer Vaccine Recipients Compared to Moderna in Florida
Key Takeaways
🔹 What Happened?
- A Florida study (not yet peer-reviewed) found adults who got 2 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine had more deaths within a year compared to Moderna recipients.
- Pfizer group: 847 deaths per 100,000 people.
- Moderna group: 618 deaths per 100,000 people.
🔹 Who Did the Study?
- Led by Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s top health official, and researchers from MIT and Florida’s health department.
🔹 How Was It Done?
- Compared 1.5 million adults (half Pfizer, half Moderna) matched for age, sex, and other factors.
- Tracked deaths from any cause (not just COVID-19) for 12 months after vaccination.
What Else Did They Find?
- Pfizer recipients also had higher rates of:
- Heart-related deaths.
- Deaths from COVID-19 itself.
Important Context
⚠️ Limitations of the Study
- Did not account for pre-existing health conditions (like diabetes or heart disease).
- Smaller sample size after matching participants.
- Not peer-reviewed yet (other scientists haven’t verified the methods/results).
⚠️ Why Compare Pfizer vs. Moderna?
- Researchers say comparing two vaccines helps avoid biases (e.g., differences in health habits between vaccinated and unvaccinated people).
- Critics ask: “Why not compare vaccinated vs. unvaccinated?”
What’s the Big Picture?
- Vaccines save lives by preventing severe COVID-19, but non-specific effects (like impacts on overall health) are still being studied.
- Neither Pfizer nor Moderna commented on the findings.