Vaccines

Is the mpox vaccine loaded with HIV, as a video shared by The People's Voice claims? No, that's not true: The People's Voice is a website with a long history of publishing made-up news, and it provided no sources -- aside from a supposed whistleblower -- to back up the claims made in the video. The ingredient list and package…

Has Vice President Kamala Harris announced a widespread COVID-19 vaccination policy? No, that's not true: Her campaign website shows that she requires employees of her 2024 presidential campaign to be vaccinated. There is no evidence that Harris has released a plan to require COVID vaccination for all Americans. The claim was implied in a post (archived here) on Instagram on…

Had doctors aboard the Brazilian airline flight that crashed in August 2024 vowed to release evidence linking mRNA technology to "turbo cancer", as an article by The People's Voice said? No, that's not true: The People's Voice is a website with a long history of publishing made up news and it provided no sources to back up the part about…

Did Japan declare a state of emergency in August 2024 after "nanobots" were found in 96 million citizens? No, that's not true: A state of emergency in Japan would be major news worldwide and yet there have been no stories about it. The "news" came from a website with a reputation for making things up. The journal article the website…

Did the World Health Organization (WHO) call for military forces to "round up mRNA vaccine refusers during the bird flu pandemic," as an August 2024 article claimed? No, that's not true: In an emailed statement to Lead Stories, WHO said that the article making the claim presents "flagrantly false information" since WHO has no power to mobilize military troops. The…

Did a German preprint study published in February 2024 by Christof Kuhbandner and Matthias Reitzner prove that COVID-19 vaccines caused the number of deaths per year to rise above recent trends, as several online posts and articles implied? No, that's not true: While it's true there has been a documented increase in excess mortality during the pandemic years, German health…

Do quadruple-boosted people get denied life insurance based solely on their vaccination status? No, that's not true: The American Council of Life Insurers, which is one of the major industry groups, told Lead Stories that it is not aware of the data backing up the claim, pointing out that being up-to-date on vaccines is typically seen as a positive factor.…

Did Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla "admit" on June 18, 2024, that COVID-19 was used as "a test"? No, that's not true. Pfizer Media Relations told Lead Stories that the "quote is taken out of context." Additionally, the head of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology company never used the word "test"; instead, Bourla said the pandemic was "like a rehearsal," preparing Pfizer…

Did the British Medical Journal attribute excess deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic to vaccines in a study that appeared in one of its publications? No, that's not true: In a statement on its website, the publication said, "This study does not establish any such link." The British Medical Journal also described the claim as "misreporting," adding that the researchers did…

Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say in May 2024 that COVID mRNA vaccines killed 500,000 children and young adults? No, that's not true: The public health agency said it has not reported any such figures. Official data and scientific consensus indicate that COVID shots are safe and effective, with adverse effects being rare and not causing mass…