Misinformation

Trending Misinformation about Vaccines & COVID-19

• Misinformation that was circulating at the beginning of the pandemic is now resurfacing again. Tweets and Facebook posts are sharing the diagram of a supposed “nanochip” that will be implanted into each person who gets the COVID-19 vaccine. The conspiracy theory has been debunked by multiple sources, and some have pointed out that the “nanochip” diagram is actually the circuit of a guitar pedal. This theory appears to be connecting misinformation about 5G towers (which trended at the beginning of the pandemic) and more recent misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines containing tracking devices embedded via microchips.
• A microbiologist who has previously made false claims about COVID-19 has uploaded a new video claiming that mRNA vaccines will cause recipients to get more sick and die within the next year as a result of cytokine storm reactions in which the immune system will attack organs. Those featured in the video appear to have scientific credentials and also share published research, which may cause more people to believe the claims made and refuse COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA vaccines may be new, but they have been studied for decades and those that have been approved for use have met rigorous safety and effectiveness standards. mRNA vaccines do not use any kind of live virus nor interact with DNA in any way.
• Vaccine opponents are sharing a meme that uses clinical trial documents out of context to claim that people should not have unprotected sex after receiving COVID-19 because genetic manipulation from the vaccines may result in birth defects. COVID-19 vaccines have not been tested in pregnant people, but experts believe that mRNA vaccines are unlikely to pose a risk to the person or fetus.
• A story is being widely shared on social media about an emergency room nurse who tested positive for the virus six days after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. While vaccine alarmists are pointing to this as an indication that the vaccine is not effective, this occurrence isn’t unexpected by infectious disease specialists. Clinical trials have indicated that it may take up to 14 days for the first dose of the vaccine to offer protection against COVID-19. Additionally, the second dose of the vaccine is needed to obtain full protection. The nurse could also have contracted the virus before or after receiving the vaccine. Some social media users are speculating that the nurse got infected because the vaccine contained the virus. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, unlike traditional ones that inject an attenuated virus or its proteins, was based on a novel technology that uses mRNA that contains instructions on how to make the viral protein(s). This dismisses any theory of virus introduction in the body via the vaccine.
• Social media users are sharing the story of a 91-year old person who died in Switzerland five days after taking the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Some news outlets reported that the decedent had a previous negative reaction to the flu shot, a detail social media commenters are using to associate the COVID-19 vaccine and death. However, the Swiss drug regulator Swissmedic stated that the person had several underlying conditions prior to receiving the vaccine and that any connection with the vaccine is “highly unlikely”.

Trending Misinformation about Vaccines & COVID-19

• News and social media sites have shared a story about a nurse in Nashville who claims that her COVID-19 vaccine has caused Bell’s palsy. Bell’s palsy was also reported among a handful of vaccine trial participants, but not more than would be expected by chance, and there is no definitive link between the vaccine and paralysis.
• A Facebook photo has been shared that shows a photo of a bloody and disheveled hospital room with a fake CNN screen reading, “Breaking News: Hospitals on lockdown as first COVID-19 vaccine patients start eating other patients.” There is no evidence that reactions from the vaccine have caused individuals to develop cannibalistic tendencies, and the post has been debunked by multiple fact checking sites.
• Several stories have been trending around adverse reactions to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Last week a story about a nurse who fainted after receiving her Pfizer vaccine was trending, and in the last 24 hours the story has escalated to claim that she has now died from the vaccine (which is false). A story about a physician at Boston Medical Center who went into anaphylactic shock after receiving the Moderna vaccine also caused a spike in claims that vaccine ingredients are unsafe. The CDC asks individuals with a history of severe allergies to vaccines to consult their physician before receiving the vaccine.
• A photograph was circulated on social media showing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine being delivered though an electronic cigarette. Though initially shared humorously, it has created some confusion about whether the vaccine could be delivered using this method. These claims have since been fact checked by multiple sources as false. The Pfizer vaccine is currently only available via intramuscular injection, according to the CDC, and no pharmaceutical company has manufactured a vaccine in vape form. In addition, the vaccine comes in vials of multiple doses, not one, as shown in the photo.

Trending Misinformation about Vaccines & COVID-19

• Claims are spreading on Facebook and Twitter that asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 is not real, based on a research paper published in Nature in November. The paper analyzed the spread of COVID-19 in Wuhan, finding low asymptomatic spread. However, researchers stated that strict measures public health measures were successful in reducing the virulence of COVID in Wuhan and that asymptomatic people in Wuhan may have low viral loads – therefore, the finding cannot be applied to countries with large, active outbreaks. Throughout the pandemic scientists have been working to understand the risk of transmission by asymptomatic carriers, and have continued to find that asymptomatic spreading contributes to the ongoing case numbers.
• Several tweets from the UK are circulating, alleging that a new variation of the coronavirus was caused by Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. There are two important things to know about this claim: first, the new variant emerged in September of this year and began circulating at low levels in the population recently. Second, Pfizer’s vaccine uses mRNA technology and cannot give recipients an infection of the virus. Experts believe that the current COVID-19 vaccines will work against the variant.
• A trending tweet questions whether flu cases are being misdiagnosed as COVID-19, with the tweet claiming it suspicious that flu cases have decreased so much in the current flu season compared to years past. Although the two illnesses have some similarities, swab tests to check for COVID-19 infection are highly specific and it unlikely that the flu would be misdiagnosed in a COVID-19 swab test. Experts also believe that flu cases are down this year because more people have gotten the flu shot and are wearing masks, two protective behaviors that reduce the spread of the flu.
• In a recent Facebook live, a claim was made that vaccine standards have been reduced for COVID-19 vaccines. The claims are false, as COVID-19 vaccines must pass the same safety standards as any vaccine prior to being approved for use.
• Social media users are recirculating a common false claim that flu vaccination increases the risk of COVID-death. These claims have been repeatedly debunked throughout the pandemic. A recent study found that flu vaccination does not impact COVID-19 related morbidity or mortality.
• Posts on social media platforms are downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, through claims that death counts are inflated, and that the virus and pandemic do not exist. This claim has been widely debunked since the beginning of the pandemic, and health experts have argued that death and COVID-19 infection rates are likely undercounted.