Many reported adverse events in COVID-19 vaccine trials come from those who received the placebo shots, with nearly a third of placebo recipients involved having reported at least one adverse event, according to findings by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. Adverse events (AEs) that appear to be induced by placebos are referred to as “nocebo” responses. Scientists conducted a meta-analysis of 12 randomized, placebo-controlled COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, in order to compare rates of adverse events reported by those who took the vaccines to that of those who took the placebo shots. They found “significantly more AEs were reported in vaccine groups compared with placebo groups, but the rates of reported AEs in the placebo arms were still substantial.” In particular, about a third of trial participants who received the placebo shots had reported at least one adverse event, with the most common symptoms being …