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WEKU
WEKU
Lisa Hagen

How Damar Hamlin's collapse fueled anti-vaccine conspiracy theories

Fans look on as the ambulance leaves carrying Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin off the field on Jan. 2 after he collapsed after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals. (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

Last week more than 23 million people tuned in to watch the Buffalo Bills play the Cincinnati Bengals and instead became witness to a terrifying, life-or-death emergency as safety Damar Hamlin collapsed suddenly on the field. His teammates knelt in prayer while medical staff fought for his life. (According to doctors, Hamlin is "doing well" and was released from a hospital in Cincinnati and returned to Buffalo on Monday, where he is now in stable condition.)

But on the internet, anti-vaccine activists filled in the silence with unfounded theories that Hamlin's collapse was brought on by COVID vaccines.

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