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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Meme Spreads Falsehood About Vaccine Transfer Through Eating Meat

Meme Spreads Falsehood About Vaccine Transfer Through Eating Meat

Livestock and poultry are not being vaccinated against COVID-19. But a meme is spreading the falsehood that those who eat meat from vaccinated animals will get “VAXXED” by consuming the meat. That simply isn’t possible, according to immunologists.

Tucker Carlson Misrepresents Vaccine Safety Reporting Data

Tucker Carlson Misrepresents Vaccine Safety Reporting Data

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System accepts any reports of adverse side effects following vaccination to help regulators detect potential problems. Anyone can submit a report, whether or not the incident is vaccine-related. Fox News host Tucker Carlson misrepresented the VAERS data to suggest that thousands have died from COVID-19 vaccines.

Idaho Doctor Makes Baseless Claims About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines

Idaho Doctor Makes Baseless Claims About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines

A viral video features a doctor making dubious claims about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments at a forum hosted by Idaho’s lieutenant governor. Dr. Ryan Cole claims mRNA vaccines cause cancer and autoimmune diseases, but the lead author of the paper on which Cole based that claim told us there is no evidence mRNA vaccines cause those ailments.

RFK Jr. Video Pushes Known Vaccine Misrepresentations

RFK Jr. Video Pushes Known Vaccine Misrepresentations

A video stoking fears of the COVID-19 vaccines in the Black community is being promoted online. But the film repeats misrepresentations about vaccines, generally, and exploits historical cases of unethical medical conduct to suggest without evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe.

Anti-Vaccine Posts Use Deceptively Edited Video Clip

Anti-Vaccine Posts Use Deceptively Edited Video Clip

Social media pages that share anti-vaccine messages have used a selectively edited news clip that suggests the COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe. The clip shows a nurse fainting after she gets the vaccine, but it doesn’t show her quick recovery afterward when she explains that she is prone to fainting when triggered by even a slight pain.

Alabama Officials Debunk False Claim of COVID-19 Vaccine Death

Alabama Officials Debunk False Claim of COVID-19 Vaccine Death

A false claim that an unidentified nurse died after getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Alabama has been feeding into the anti-vaccine disinformation online. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported that no one who has received the vaccine has died.

COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Have Patient-Tracking Devices

COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Have Patient-Tracking Devices

A video circulating on social media falsely claims that vaccines for COVID-19 have a microchip that “tracks the location of the patient.” The chip, which is not currently in use, would be attached to the end of a plastic vial and provide information only about the vaccine dose. It cannot track people.

Trump Exaggerates Progress, Credit on Future COVID-19 Vaccine

Trump Exaggerates Progress, Credit on Future COVID-19 Vaccine

In a Labor Day press conference and at a rally in North Carolina the following day, President Donald Trump made several unsupported or inaccurate statements about a COVID-19 vaccine and distorted comments made by the Democratic ticket.