Are symptoms of the omicron variant being used to cover up effects of COVID-19 vaccines? No, there is no evidence that there is a cover-up of COVID vaccine adverse effects via symptoms of the new omicron variant. An article making that claim gives no scientific, medical or reputably published proof. It also repeats a false claim that 183 professional athletes and coaches have suddenly collapsed and 108 died, which Lead Stories previously debunked here.
The claim appeared in an article published by albertanationals.com on November 28, 2021, titled "Symptoms of the Omicron Variant Used To Cover Up Effects of Covid Vaccines" (archived here). It opened:
Recently the Botswana Government announced that a new variant of Covid had arisen from the Vaccinated. Read More. One of the symptoms listed of the new Omicron Variant of Coronavirus; includes the following: A number of heart-related complications may occur, including heart failure, arrhythmias, heart inflammation, and blood clots This happens to be one of [...]
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Symptoms of the Omicron Variant Used To Cover Up Effects of Covid Vaccines
Recently the Botswana Government announced that a new variant of Covid had arisen from the Vaccinated. Read More. One of the symptoms listed of the new Omicron Variant of Coronavirus; includes the following: A number of heart-related complications may occur, including heart failure, arrhythmias, heart inflammation, and blood clots This happens to be one of [...]
The article continues:
It looks like bureaucrats are already using the Omicron Variant to disguise the rapid increase in sudden and unexplained cardiac deaths in the vaccinated; just as they did with the Delta Variant.
There are no links to peer-reviewed studies or medical reports in the article or other evidence cited that show such a coverup.
The claim that "since December, 183 professional athletes and coaches have suddenly collapsed, 108 dead," was previously debunked by Lead Stories here.
The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the governing body of 211 soccer organizations around the world. Lead Stories reached out to the communications division of FIFA to ask if they were aware of a large number of sudden deaths and if so, if there was any evidence that this was linked to COVID vaccines. A FIFA spokesperson responded on November 29, 2021, with this statement:
FIFA is not aware of a rise in episodes of cardiac arrests as indicated in your email and no cases have been flagged in relation to individuals receiving a COVID vaccine. Generally speaking, FIFA is in regular contact with leading research centres and experts to do research on a variety of medical topics.
The image used in the article appears to show an athlete down on the field grabbing their leg in pain. This does not show a person who has collapsed from a COVID vaccine or COVID infection, as the photo was posted in 2008 to Edward Morgan's flickr account, more than a decade before the coronavirus outbreak began in 2019. The image has been used over the years in sports injury-related news articles and long before the COVID-19 outbreak.
