The PREP Act and the “Legal Shield” Narrative
Another element circulating in the thread ties McAfee’s tweet to the U.S. PREP Act, claiming the government quietly activated liability protections for vaccine manufacturers before deaths occurred in the United States.
The PREP Act does provide liability protection for manufacturers of pandemic countermeasures during declared emergencies. That is a matter of public record. It was invoked for COVID-19 countermeasures early in 2020.
But that legal mechanism has existed since 2005. It has been used in previous health emergencies. Its activation does not prove malicious intent; it is designed to allow rapid deployment of vaccines and therapeutics during crises.
The presence of liability protection is often framed online as proof of wrongdoing. In reality, it is part of established emergency preparedness law.
Interpretation matters.
What the Data Actually Shows
The attachments include multiple public datasets — including U.S., U.K., France, and Canada comparisons of death and hospitalization rates by vaccination status.
Across these independent national databases, the pattern is consistent during peak waves:
• Higher hospitalization rates among unvaccinated populations
• Higher ICU admissions among unvaccinated groups
• Higher mortality rates per 100,000 among unvaccinated groups
For example, U.K. Health Security Agency data during late 2021 waves showed significantly elevated death rates in older unvaccinated cohorts compared to double-vaccinated groups. U.S. CDC-linked mortality charts during the Delta and Omicron waves showed a similar divergence.
Are vaccines risk-free? No medical intervention is. Rare adverse effects, including clotting disorders, myocarditis, and allergic reactions, were documented. Large-scale reviews, including analyses published in The Lancet, estimate serious clotting risks in the range of approximately 1–2 cases per million doses for certain vaccine types.
Risk exists. But risk magnitude matters.
Population-level analysis consistently demonstrated that the risk of severe COVID-19 complications significantly exceeded the risk of serious vaccine adverse events during peak transmission periods.
That does not invalidate individual experiences. It contextualizes them.
