The media frenzy surrounding COVID-19 vaccine safety may have resulted in a thousand ED presentations to a Melbourne hospital over a three month period of which just eight turned out to be an adverse event triggered by the vaccines.

Doctors from St Vincent’s Hospital said pressures on ED staff increased dramatically as the vaccination rollout out sped up late last year.

Representing 6% of all ED presentations between August and November, some 968 patients turned up at the hospital fearing they were experiencing a major adverse reaction, with 20% coming by ambulance and one patient turning up in a police car.

Some 69 patients were subsequently given a category 2 triage: an imminently life-threatening condition to be seen within 10 minutes.