Let's fact check the latest nonsense in the continual stream of nonsense pushed by Covid deniers. Claim: Pathologists found "a host of non-biological components ... in the blood of vaccinated people,” including graphene chips and nanochips. COVID-19 vaccines do not include non-biological components https://www.politifact.com/factchec...19-vaccines-do-not-include-non-biological-co/ The list of ingredients for COVID-19 vaccines is published and does not include non-biological components such as graphene chips or nanochips. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifies that COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals and manufactured products, including microelectronics. The German Society for Pathology denounced information from the symposium where the claim originated and said the data was not based in science. A German symposium billed as a gathering of physicians and pathologists included bold, unfounded claims about "undeclared" components of COVID-19 vaccines and deaths from vaccinations. Summarizing information from the event, one blogger wrote that pathologists found "a host of non-biological components ... in the blood of vaccinated people," including graphene chips and nanochips. But the claim is not supported by evidence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a list of ingredients for COVID-19 vaccines, which does not include non-biological components. The CDC also specifies that COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals and manufactured products, including microelectronics. Also, the German Society for Pathology said it "distances itself sharply" from the symposium, which the organization noted was led by two retired pathologists and an electrical engineer. The society said the data was not based in science. The blog post says the session at the symposium where the "non-biological components" were discussed was titled, "Undeclared Components of Covid-19 Vaccines." We could not identify any information to corroborate the claim that the vaccines have undeclared components. The only active ingredient in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is messenger ribonucleic acid, known as mRNA, which contains genetic instructions for your body about how to make proteins present on the COVID-19 virus. That allows the body to respond to the foreign proteins by building an immune response. Inactive ingredients in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines include lipids (which are fats), salts, acids and acid stabilizers, and sugars. The active ingredient in the AstraZeneca vaccine is a weakened adenovirus, which is a common cold, that has been modified with genetic material from the coronavirus. The symposium was not the first time we’ve seen false claims about COVID-19 vaccines and foreign substances, including graphene and nanochips. PolitiFact and other fact checkers debunked claims about graphene after Spanish researchers said they had discovered it in Pfizer’s vaccine. And there is no evidence vaccines contain nanochips. Our ruling Writing about a German symposium, a blogger said pathologists found "a host of non-biological components ... in the blood of vaccinated people," including graphene chips and nanochips. The claim is not supported by evidence. The published list of ingredients for COVID-19 vaccines does not include non-biological components and specifically says the vaccines are free from metals and manufactured products, including microelectronics. The German Society for Pathology disavowed the symposium and said its findings were not scientifically sound. We rate this claim Pants on Fire!
Let's fact check the nonsense being pushed on social media today by anti-vaxxers... Fact-check: Are COVID-19 vaccines not advertised on TV because of the side effects? https://www.statesman.com/story/new...dvertised-tv-because-side-effects/8544556002/ "We rate the statement False."
Let's fact check the latest false nonsense being pushed by anti-vax Covid-deniers on social media this weekend... Fact check: Vaccinated people positive for COVID-19 not allowed to attend events in LA https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...id-19-positives-allowed-la-events/8551481002/ The claim: In Los Angeles, vaccinated people can test positive for COVID-19 and still attend events; unvaccinated people denied entrance even after negative test Some social media users claim unvaccinated residents in Los Angeles are being held to a different standard than their vaccinated peers. "A person that is vaccinated, but tests positive for COVID, can attend events, etc. in LA; but a person who is unvaccinated and tests negative for COVID, will be denied? This isn't about COVID anymore," reads text in an image shared on Instagram. The image was liked more than 6,700 times in less than three weeks after it was posted Oct. 7. The image is a screengrab from a tweet shared that same day that has accrued more than 1,600 retweets. In a replying tweet, the user questioned why "testing negative is no longer enough." But a negative test is enough for unvaccinated people to attend public "mega-events," according to the Los Angeles Department of Health. The department also told USA TODAY that vaccinated people with COVID-19 symptoms must self-isolate immediately. USA TODAY reached out to the poster and Twitter user for comment. Those who test positive for COVID-19 required to self-quarantine The Instagram post claims vaccinated people can still attend events even if they have tested positive for COVID-19. But anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, regardless of their vaccination status, is required to isolate themselves, according to an Aug. 26 health order from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. The order's description of "diagnosed with COVID-19" includes anyone who received a positive test for the virus or whose health care provider suspects they have COVID-19. Barbara Ferrer, director of the city's Public Health Department, confirmed in an email to USA TODAY anyone who tests positive must self-isolate. Ferrer said the public health order has been in place since the beginning of the pandemic. Fact check: False claim Indiana State Police offered to hire Chicago officers fired over vaccinations The order says people must stay in their place of isolation until they are no longer at risk for spreading the virus. They can only go outside to receive "necessary medical care," the order says. Negative test enough proof for unvaccinated attendees The Instagram post addresses the requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated residents to attend events in the city. The guidance for "mega-events," which include any indoor event with more than 1,000 attendees or outdoor event with more than 10,000, is clear: Fully vaccinated people must show proof of vaccination, and unvaccinated residents must show a negative test, according to the city's health guidance issued in September. Everyone must wear a face mask regardless of their vaccination status. Ferrer confirmed to USA TODAY unvaccinated people can still attend events as long as they provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result dated within 72 hours before the entry to the event. She added that many event holders have established on-site rapid COVID-19 testing sites to accommodate attendees who aren't vaccinated or who didn't bring a negative test result. USA TODAY found no evidence corroborating the claim that unvaccinated people are being denied entry from events due to their vaccination status. No credible news organizations have reported about it, either. The burden of proof for any factual claim is on the speaker, and no one making this claim provided any such proof. Social media user @1baddiebri, the tweet's author, commented about her experience attending a mega event on the Instagram post. "My sister and I attended a concert. Because I was not vaccinated, I had to do a spit and swab test to be proven (sic) that I'm negative," she wrote. "My sister is vaccinated and only had to show her vaccinated card. She could've had COVID but as long as she had that card it didn't matter." She didn't immediately reply to USA TODAY's request for comment and further clarification, so it's unclear if she was denied entry after testing negative. Our rating: False Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that vaccinated people in Los Angeles who test positive for COVID-19 can still attend events, whereas unvaccinated people are denied entrance even after providing a negative test. Public health guidance in the city requires anyone, regardless of vaccination status, who has tested positive or is presumed to be positive to self-isolate and not attend public events. The city's Department of Public Health confirmed to USA TODAY unvaccinated residents can still attend public events if they present a negative COVID-19 test. There's no evidence of residents being denied entry to events due to their vaccination status.
We have seen anti-vaxxers whining that "we don't know the long term effects of the Covid vaccine". Well vaccines do not have long term side effects -- all the possible side effects show up in the weeks following vaccination. This articles explains the facts in detail. Fact check: Can COVID-19 vaccines lead to long-term health problems? Many people often remain hesitant about getting COVID-19 vaccines because they fear possible long-term health complications from the shots. But can there be such complications? Here’s a fact check. https://www.hindustantimes.com/life...ong-term-health-problems-101635591093392.html In a recent interview with broadcaster Sky Sport, Germany's star footballer and FC Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said he still had reservations about COVID-19 vaccines because of a lack of long-term studies about their effects. It's an argument that is often heard from those who haven't yet signed up to take the shots — in Germany, that's one in four people. Some people justify their hesitation by saying they fear the possible long-term effects of the vaccines. On Twitter, some vaccine skeptics have pointed to examples of other vaccines, for example against swine flu, where there were allegedly long-term complications. But is that really true? Here are answers to the most important questions. Reactions, side effects and long-term effects. What are the differences? Reactions to a vaccine usually occur shortly after a vaccination and can last for several days. In the case of the COVID-19 vaccines, these can involve pain or tenderness at the injection site — in other words, a sore arm — or headaches. These symptoms show that the body's immune system is dealing with the vaccine. What can be called "side effects" are stronger reactions to a vaccine. They are "an undesirable reaction of the body to the vaccine that occurs in addition to the completely normal vaccination reaction," said Christine Falk, president of the German Society for Immunology and professor at the Institute for Transplantation Immunology in Hannover, in an interview with DW. They are more serious than usual reactions and, in the most extreme cases, can lead to damage that has a longer-term impact on health. Very rare side effects such as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or heart muscle inflammation have already been reported with COVID-19 vaccines. The commonly used term "long-term effects" cannot be separated from side effects in relation to vaccines. They are just side effects whose connection with the vaccine becomes apparent only after some time has passed. For example, if a side effect occurs in only one in a million people, the connection is only apparent when several million people have been inoculated. The good thing about COVID-19 vaccines is that more than 6.8 billion doses have been administered worldwide so far, allowing rare side effects to be identified quickly. "Because so many people have already been vaccinated and because many months have already passed since a lot of people received the vaccination, we can now be very certain about possible side effects," immunologist Förster explained. What about the thrombosis cases linked to AstraZeneca? This is a rare side effect that was discovered by health officials only after the AstraZeneca vaccine was rolled out, Förster confirmed. There were some severe cases with blood clots in different or unusual locations (for example, in the brain as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis). "The clinical trials can show the more common reactions to the vaccine, but unfortunately not the rare ones because of the relatively small number of cases," immunologist Falk explained. That's why this side effect didn't come to light until after the vaccine was approved, she said. According to Australian health authorities, thrombosis occurs only in a maximum of four to six people out of 1 million who are vaccinated with AstraZeneca. According to Germany's Federal Center for Health Education, the majority of thrombosis cases usually occurred two to three weeks after vaccination, predominantly in people under 60 years of age. That's why, as of April 1, Germany now only recommends vaccinating people 60 and older with AstraZeneca. If the side effect is detected early enough, it can be treated. How long does it take for the vaccine to clear from the body? There are two different types of vaccines approved in the EU:mRNA vaccines from Biontech-Pfizer or Moderna, and vector vaccines such as those from AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson. For both types of vaccines, "we're talking about a matter of days and weeks before the vaccines are completely broken down and no longer present in our bodies," immunologist Christine Falk said. The mRNA vaccines contain the blueprint, so to speak, for a specific component of the virus — after they are injected, the immune system is stimulated and antibodies are produced against this small part. Afterward, the mRNA is completely broken down again, according to BioNtech-Pfizer — and thus cannot trigger any late-onset long-term effects. "There is no evidence that reactions can occur at a later stage," Reinhold Förster said. Vector vaccines also contain a genetic template for the spike protein and stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies. According to the Federal Center for Health Education, the vaccine vectors are broken down after a short time — and thus cannot cause a reaction to the body even after a long period of time. Were side effects linked to other vaccines discovered years later? With the Pandemrix vaccine against swine flu, a very rare side effect — narcolepsy, a sleep disorder — was not noticed until long after the vaccine was introduced. Initially, comparatively few people were vaccinated, so the side effect was not attributed to the vaccine until months later, after many people had been vaccinated. "The fact that it could be detected at all had nothing to do with the fact that those vaccinated had to be observed for a particularly long time until this side effect occurred, but rather that many people were vaccinated," explained immunologist Förster. Very rare side effects can be seen only when there is a large group of vaccinated people. This side effect of the Pandemrix vaccine occurred sporadically within a few weeks in children between the ages of four and 19. Based on epidemiological studies, two to six additional cases of narcolepsy are expected per 100,000 doses administered to children and adolescents. Currently, the vaccine is no longer used in the EU. What side effects have been reported after COVID-19 vaccines? In its safety report, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, a German federal health agency that regulates and researches vaccines and biomedicines, lists known, yet very rare, side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. They include, for example, myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium, whereby the causal relationship has not yet been conclusively clarified in the cases reported to date. Furthermore, anaphylactic reactions, cerebral venous sinus thromboses, Guillain-Barré syndrome and thrombocytopenia or immune thrombocytopenia have been reported. The institute also also issues vaccine reports, which are updated monthly and include information on the frequency of side effects No long-term health problems linked to COVID-19 vaccines Leading immunology experts in Germany largely rule out the possibility of people becoming ill years later as a result of COVID-19 vaccinations. The human body reacts to the vaccine immediately after receiving the shot or a few weeks later — and can then develop vaccine reactions or more severe symptoms. In the worst cases — which are, however, very rare — these can be cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or heart muscle inflammation, for example, which can also have a longer-term effect on a person's health. Since almost 7 billion doses of vaccine have already been administered worldwide, even very rare side effects have been discovered. Scientific studies on possible long-term effects are not yet available. But long-term or late effects that do not show up for the first time until years after an inoculation, as some vaccine skeptics fear, are not possible, according to the immunologists we interviewed, and are also not known from other vaccines. This is because vaccines are rapidly broken down in the body and thus cannot trigger any lasting reactions.
Let's fact check some more false nonsense... No, your vaccine does not contain microchips to allow the government to track you. Fact check: False claim that Pfizer filed a patent for remote contact tracing of vaccinated people https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...-involving-remote-contact-tracing/8548651002/
Let's fact check the latest anti-vax Covid-denier nonsense floating around social media... Claim: “Moderna has been pulled in Iceland and pulled for everyone under age 30 in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark due to heart issues.” Facebook posts get the details wrong about use of Moderna in Scandinavian countries https://www.politifact.com/factchec...ok-posts-get-details-wrong-about-use-moderna/