Beloved TV star, comedian, and animal activist Betty White died of natural causes on December 31, at age 99. Her long career and talent were so universally appreciated that outpour of grief came from virtually everywhere, and many felt that dying just a few weeks before turning 100 was dying too soon. Unfortunately, some people decided to use her death to spread lies about vaccines.

Following White’s death, a post began circulating on social media platforms claiming that, on December 28, she said “Eat healthy and get all your vaccines. I just got boosted today.” The post attempts to connect the alleged booster shot to her death, but the quote used is completely fake.

Anti-vaxxers are notorious for their spread of fake news, so tarnishing White’s death with their crusade against COVID-19 vaccines is disappointing but not surprising. On top of that, the “Eating Healthy” part is arguably an insult to her memory, since White famously claimed that her long life was down to hot dogs and vodka.

"Betty died peacefully in her sleep at her home. People are saying her death was related to getting a booster shot three days earlier but that is not true," her agent and friend Jeff Witjas told Yahoo Entertainment. "She died of natural causes. Her death should not be politicized – that is not the life she lived."

Once again, no medical intervention is risk-free but vaccines have been proven to be a lot safer than a COVID-19 infection. Almost 5.5 million people have died as a result of COVID-19 over the last two years, and many more are living with long-term conditions as a consequence of having had it.

[H/T: Yahoo Entertainment]