Did a Tennessee nurse really die after receiving the coronavirus vaccine?

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Several posts on anti-vaccine social media are circulating on the Internet claiming that the new COVID-19 vaccine caused a Tennessee critical care nurse to faint shortly after receiving the shot.

According to WRCB-TV, six nurses at CHI Memorial Hospital in the Chattanooga area were vaccinated, including critical care nurse Tiffany Dover, who experienced fainting a few minutes after vaccination.

She was surrounded by medical staff from the CHI Memorial who helped administer the shooting. A WRCB press conference showed Dover receiving the vaccine when he suddenly fell to the ground.

Social media reacted quickly to the nurse’s death, saying Dover had died on the spot. Some of the posts also claimed that the vaccine is not safe for humans after the video began circulating about Dover’s fainting on Facebook. The clip does not show its quick recovery.

The widely shared video has already garnered more than 2,400 views and generated many “anti-vaccine” comments.

“Wow! And then add the lack of O2 to wear a mask on top of the vaccine, ”said one commenter. “But I’m sure they’ll say it’s not the shot.”

Dover explained to WRCB and statement from CHI Memorial Hospital that her fainting was due to an overactive vagal response, which causes her to faint after experiencing pain from things such as stabbing a finger or nail.

The hospital cited the CDC in its statement that between 3% and 3.5% of patients experience fainting after receiving any vaccine, not just the new COVID-19 vaccine. They also believe that fainting is probably part of the vaccination process and not a vaccine reaction.

A tweet from the hospital’s Twitter account said Saturday Dover “is doing very well at home and is asking for privacy for her and her family.”

We give this claim a rating of “untrue.” While the nurse fainted after receiving the vaccine, she said the fainting was not due to the shot. The nurse also recovered completely.