Kelowna woman Lynnae Errick, left, recently passed and in the aftermath of her death her name has been connected to antivax sentiment.

Image Credit: FAVEBOOK/Amanda Stevenson

Friends and family of a Kelowna woman who recently died have found themselves thrust into an unexpected battle against misinformation.

Just days after her death, Lynnae Errick's name is sweeping across social media as people involved in anti-vaccination campaigns use her old social media comments to elevate their argument that vaccines are unsafe. She's been labelled in some circles as the "latest victim" of the vaccine.

That is something her friends want to stop.

"Anything that you may read or hear about Lynnae's passing, unless you know, unless you know details, please do not spread misinformation," friend Amanda Stevenson said in an online post earlier this week.

"Lynnae left behind a beautiful young girl, whose birthday is next week....Her daughter will come on Facebook one day and she should not have to go onto her mother's page and see comments, she should not have to see her mother tagged in posts that are inappropriate and misguided and presumptive."

Errick had received a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on May 17, and she died May 24.

In the days after receiving her immunization, she posted to Facebook saying she was tired and had a sore arm. She even expressed regret about getting the jab.

Today, those public posts have been collected by strangers and acquaintances alike and shared to online anti-vaccination pages across the country.

What people don't realize, however, is that Errick's death was related to another condition that Stevenson said will remain unnamed.

"Yes, she had a vaccine recently, but there's no evidence whatsoever that that vaccine had anything to do with her death, and until it comes to light that it did or did not, people should not say nasty things, they should not be posting about it," she said, wiping away tears in a widely shared video.

"They should be respectful and kind to the family during this time."

Health Canada reports adverse reactions and on its monitoring page it said a total of 20,328,984 vaccine doses have been administered in Canada as of May 21. Adverse events (side effects) have been reported by 5,989 people. That’s about three people out of every 10,000 people vaccinated who have reported one or more adverse events.

Of the 5,989 individual reports, 4,863 were considered non-serious (0.024% of all doses administered) and 1,126 were considered serious (0.006% of all doses administered). Most adverse events are mild and include soreness at the site of injection or a slight fever.

Serious adverse events are rare, but do occur. Anaphylaxis has been reported 69 times for all COVID-19 vaccines across Canada.    Cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome following vaccination with AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD COVID-19 vaccine continue to be monitored

Up to and including May 21, there were 33 cases of TTS in Canada with reports submitted to PHAC or to Health Canada. Of the TTS cases  four people died, including one case of TTS related death reported in the media but has not yet been submitted to PHAC or Health Canada.

Despite checks and balances, the Central Okanagan, especially Lake Country and Rutland, have lagged behind the rest of the province when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Vaccine hesitancy isn't believed to be the cause.,

“The lowest (rate) is Rutland, which I think is 50.8 per cent, that’s 12 (years old) and above,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said at a news briefing, May 27. “That’s 62 per cent provincewide. Most of the Kelowna area is in the 55, 56, 57 per cent range so just below the provincial average.

“Interior Health is going to be making some efforts to increase the level of vaccinations in community health service areas, such as Rutland and Lake Country,” Dix said.

“I want to encourage everybody who lives in Interior Health, but particularly in the Kelowna area, this is the time to register and book.”

In addition to trying to right the misinformation being spread, Stevenson and Barbie Campbell have launched a GoFundMe to help Errick's young daughter. Errick, they said, was always the first person to offer kindness and generosity to anyone and the last person to ever ask for help.

"I truly hope that those who knew her will find it in their heart to help her daughter at this horribly sad time."

They ask that anyone who knew Errick contribute and make a difference for the daughter she left behind.

"Every dollar raised will go towards (her daughter's) future," they wrote.

"Of course, money can never replace the loss of a mom but it can help ease some financial burden now or in the future."

To date nearly $4,000 has been raised. To learn more, go to the GoFundMe.

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