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

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Several anti-vaccine stations on social media are circulating on the Internet, claiming that the new COVID-19 vaccine caused a nurse in Tennessee 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 a fainting spell a few minutes after vaccination.

She was surrounded by CHI Memorial medical staff who assisted in the administration of the shooting. A WRCB press conference showed Dover receiving the vaccine when he suddenly fell to the floor.

Social media reacted quickly to the nurse’s disappearance, saying Dover died instantly. Some of the posts also claimed that the vaccine is not safe for people after the video with the Dover fainting started circulating on Facebook. The clip does not show her quick recovery.

The video has already garnered over 2,400 views, generating many “anti-vaccine” comments.

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

Dover explained both WRCB and in a statement from CHI Memorial Hospital that the fainting was due to the over-reactive vagal response, which causes her to faint after suffering pain from things such as pushing a toe or a fingernail.

The hospital cited the CDC in a 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 most likely part of the vaccination process and not a vaccine reaction.

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

We give this statement a “not true” rating. While the nurse disappeared after receiving the vaccine, she said the fainting was not due to the shooting. The nurse also fully recovered.