Covid-19 Vaccines

Is there evidence health care providers are using lidocaine to secretly inject people with vaccines without the person's knowledge, as is suggested in a social media post by an anti-vaccine activist? No, that's not true: The suggestion is made in the "just asking questions" mode in which allegations are framed as questions to inject falsehood into public discussion. In this…

Do vaccinated people emit Media Access Control addresses? No, that's not true: A professor of electrical and computer engineering told Lead Stories that the MAC addresses shown in social media posts and videos were "bluetooth technology" coming from phones and other devices like earbuds etc. The Food and Drug Administration has debunked the claim that microscopic technology is in vaccines.…

Can lipid-based supplements reverse the effects of COVID-19 vaccines by "communicating with the gene code"? No, that's not true: Two medical specialists told Lead Stories the claim is not grounded in facts. The Instagram account that made the claim promoted drops made by an unknown manufacturer. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Instagram on January 24, 2024.…

Did German scientists uncover evidence that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine batches in the European Union included placebos? No, that's not true: Germany's federal institute for vaccines and biomedicines and Pfizer said all batches are tested and certified. They do not include placebos. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Instagram by holistichealthandmore on January 20, 2024, under the title…

Does a meeting about "Disease X" at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, prove the existence of some sinister plan to start a pandemic intentionally? No, that's not true: The panel discussion to be led by the World Health Organization's director general can be viewed online. The planned agenda is a discussion of preparedness for the next pandemic, not…

Did COVID-19 vaccines kill 17 million people around the world during the pandemic? No, that's not true: Infectious disease experts told Lead Stories that the surge in deaths correlates with surges in coronavirus infections, not vaccination campaigns. The overwhelming majority of adverse events reported after vaccination are mild and temporary, and the benefits of vaccination in preventing severe illness and…

Does New Zealand health data prove that 20 percent of vaccinated citizens died after COVID-19 vaccination? No, that's not true: The agency wrote, "We assure people there is no evidence whatsoever that vaccination is responsible for excess mortality in New Zealand and that they can continue to have confidence in vaccines." Two experts that Lead Stories spoke with independently confirmed…

Did the Australian government recommend vaccinating patients for COVID-19 without consent, while the patient was under sedation? No, that's not true: There is no official support for such a claim. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, part of the nation's Department of Health, stated the opposite in an advice document dated April 6, 2022: "Sedation should not be used…

Did Italy start an investigation against the former health minister Roberto Speranza, who held this job during the pandemic, for "murder" in connection with administering COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: No such decision has been made as of December 14, 2023. Articles on the Internet exaggerated the meaning of the complaint the Office of Public Prosecutor had already recommended…

Did the British journalist Piers Morgan reveal that he has developed Vaccine Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (VAIDS) and blamed it on the anti-vaccination community? No, that's not true: Morgan never said that he has VAIDS, which is not a real medical condition. This claim was made without supporting evidence by a prolific publisher of fake news. The article (archived here)…