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COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccines Not Linked to Cardiac Arrests, UK Defibrillator Movement Years Old

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A widely shared video on social media, showing a British telephone booth retrofitted with a defibrillator, sparked claims that the devices are being installed in response to COVID-19 vaccine-related cardiac arrests. However, according to the Community Heartbeat Trust, the charity behind the initiative, the movement to install defibrillators in telephone kiosks across the U.K. predates the pandemic by over a decade. The Corfe Castle defibrillator featured in the video was installed in June 2017 as part of a fundraising campaign, and the charity has installed around a thousand devices across the U.K. since its inception in 2009. Cardiologists have debunked claims that COVID-19 vaccines are causing an increased rate of cardiac arrests, and monitoring systems have not identified any link between the vaccine and cardiac arrest.

Key Takeaways:

  • The movement to install defibrillators in telephone kiosks across the U.K. is over a decade old, predating the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The Community Heartbeat Trust, the charity behind the initiative, has installed around a thousand devices across the U.K. since its inception in 2009.
  • The Corfe Castle defibrillator featured in the video was installed in June 2017 as part of a fundraising campaign.
  • Cardiologists have debunked claims that COVID-19 vaccines are causing an increased rate of cardiac arrests.
  • Monitoring systems have not identified any link between the vaccine and cardiac arrest.
  • The initiative has greatly improved survival rates in people who experience a cardiac emergency.

Statistics:

  • Around a thousand defibrillators have been installed in telephone kiosks across the U.K. since 2009 (Community Heartbeat Trust).
  • The Corfe Castle defibrillator featured in the video was installed in June 2017 (Community Heartbeat Trust).
  • Since 2009, Community Heartbeat Trust has installed defibrillators at 17 locations across the U.K. (Community Heartbeat Trust).
  • Cardiac arrest survival rates have improved significantly in areas where defibrillators are available in public spaces (cardiologists).
  • Monitoring systems have not identified any link between the COVID-19 vaccine and cardiac arrest (Dr. Matthew Martinez and Dr. Paul Offit).
  • Studies have not found any increased risk of death or cardiac arrest among those who have received COVID-19 shots (British Heart Foundation).

Sources:

  • AP News: "CLAIM: British telephone booths are being retrofitted with defibrillators because the COVID-19 vaccines are causing more cardiac arrests" (The Associated Press, [undated]).
  • Community Heartbeat Trust: Email to The Associated Press (Martin Fagan, National Secretary, Community Heartbeat Trust, [undated]).
  • Google Street View: Corfe Castle, Dorset, England (July 2018).
  • Atlantic Health System: Interview with Dr. Matthew Martinez, director of sports cardiology (undated).
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Interview with Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center (undated).
  • British Heart Foundation: Study on COVID-19 vaccine and cardiac arrest risk (undated).

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