evidence: Flawed reasoning: The claim that vaccine-related deaths are being underreported by a factor of 41 is based on a flawed analysis co-authored by Kirsch, using assumptions that aren’t supported by evidence. Inadequate support: An adverse event reported to VAERS doesn’t necessarily mean that the vaccine caused the issue. The VAERS database is a tool that helps identify unusual patterns that could indicate rare side effects. Determining whether the vaccine caused the event requires a much more detailed investigation beyond the total number of reports. Lack of context: The COVID-19 vaccines initially received Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA to speed up the rollout, which came with stricter reporting requirements to VAERS. Therefore, the number of VAERS reports associated with the COVID-19 vaccines is higher than for previous vaccines. A Facebook video posted on 6 August 2022 showed Steve Kirsch, a known spreader of COVID-19 misinformation, claiming that the COVID-19 vaccines caused higher rates of death than previously reported. Specifically, he claimed that these deaths were underreported by a factor of 41, which translated into 410,000 deaths post-vaccination as the VAERS database contains 10,000 deaths reported. [...] Kirsch’s multiplying VAERS reports of death by a figure of 41 is likely derived from an analysis that he co-authored, which alleged that genuine vaccine adverse events are underreported by a factor of 41. Briefly, Kirsch had arrived at this number by comparing one hospital’s reporting rates of post-vaccination anaphylaxis[1] and VAERS reporting rates of anaphylaxis as of March 2021.