COVID vaccine didn’t kill 3 Mississauga doctors, despite rampant social media claims
Published July 27, 2022 at 10:53 am
Trillium Health Partners have spoken out against widely circulated social media posts that claim three Mississauga doctors died from the COVID-19 vaccine.
Trillium Health Partners doctors, Dr. Jakub Sawicki, Dr. Stephen McKenzie and Dr. Lorne Segall all died in July, and several different posts, some even in different languages, suggest the doctors died from a booster shot.
“Three doctors die within four days shortly after hospital begins injecting staff with fourth Covid shots,” Tweet reads.
“Three doctors at Trillium Health in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada dead in a 3-day period just days after receiving their fourth Covid shot,” another says.
But the posts are simply wrong, says Amit Shilton, a spokesperson for Trillium Health Partners.
“It is with deep sadness that Trillium Health Partners mourns the loss of three of our physicians who recently passed away,” a statement from Trillium reads. “Dr. Jakub Sawicki, Dr. Stephen McKenzie and Dr. Lorne Segall were trusted colleagues who were committed to caring for their patients and community.”
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“The rumour circulating on social media is simply not true,” the statement continues. “Their passings were not related to the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Dr. Lorne Segall died on July 17 after a “hard fought year-long battle with advanced lung cancer,” according to his online obituary.
Dr. Jakub Sawicki started on the surgical assisting team at Trillium in 2014 and also fought a battle against cancer.
“Dr. Sawicki was a kind and pleasant person, and he will always be remembered for having a smile on his face. He was an excellent physician, and his patients would open up to his warmth and positivity,” reads a memo from Trillium.
An online GoFundMe posted by Dr. Sawicki’s wife says he died of stomach cancer.
“Last August, my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Gastric Cancer Signet Ring Adenocarcinoma, which had spread beyond the gastric wall into his peritoneal cavity,” Iris Sawicki wrote on the GoFundMe, organized to raise funds for a scholarship.
Sawicki died on July 19 and a funeral was held on July 22.
Dr. Stephen McKenzie joined Trillium in 1983 as a neurologist at Mississauga Hospital.
“Dr. McKenzie was a caring, kind and gentle man, who truly enjoyed life,” reads a memo on his passing.
He died on July 18.
More information is not available on the cause of death of Dr. McKenzie but all three doctors’ families are asking for privacy during this difficult time, said Shilton.
Note: This story was updated on July 30 to include more information about Dr. Sawicki
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