The 3,150 ‘health impact’ events do not necessarily equal 3,150 people who experienced side effects, because the V-safe app allows users to indicate more than one side effect
FALSE: COVID-19 vaccines make recipients ‘magnetic’
May 30, 2021 9:10 AM PHT
Rappler.com
At a glance
Claim: A video posted on Facebook on Tuesday, May 25, claimed that people who received COVID-19 jabs become “magnetic.” This can supposedly be detected by attaching magnets to one’s upper arm after getting vaccinated.
Rating: FALSE
The facts: The videos shown are of TikTok users participating in a viral “magnet test challenge.” Experts have also said vaccine doses are too small and therefore not strong enough to cause magnetic reactions.
Why we fact-checked this: This Facebook post was sent to Rappler for verification. The video has over 2,100 likes and 3,700 shares, as of writing.
FALSE: Animal testing skipped for COVID-19 vaccines
May 25, 2021 4:58 PM PHT
Rappler.com
Rating: FALSE
The facts: Animal testing was done for the COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, each of which has emergency use authorization (EUA) in the US. It was also done for the AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines.
Why we fact-checked this: The claim was being promoted in a video on the Facebook page “Lynn Channel Warriors of Truth.” As of writing, the post has about 1,900 reactions, 1,200 comments, and 2,500 shares. The video has about 38,000 views. The claim originally came from Texas State Senator Bob Hall.
Complete details
FALSE: Photos of religious statues discarded in India due to COVID-19 crisis
May 21, 2021 4:12 PM PHT
Rappler.com
At a glance
Claim: Indians are throwing away religious statues in the river for failing to protect them against COVID-19, according to a set of photos that circulated on social media.
Rating: FALSE
The facts: The photos were taken before the pandemic, during celebrations of Hindu festivals.
Why we fact-checked this: Facebook’s monitoring tool flagged at least five posts containing this claim.
Complete details
Several Facebook pages posted a set of photos of religious statues in rivers, and falsely claimed that Indians were throwing away the figures for failing to protect them against COVID-19. The posts appeared on Thursday, May 20.
FALSE: COVID-19 vaccines are not proven safe, effective
Apr 29, 2021 6:55 PM PHT
Rappler.com
Rating: FALSE
The facts: A number of experts and health organizations have deemed the COVID-19 vaccines being released as safe and effective, including the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the Philippine Department of Health.
Why we fact-checked this: A video of a doctor making this claim was sent to Rappler for verification through Facebook Messenger. The user who sent this claim said it is circulating on the messaging platform.
Complete details:
In a video, a man who identifies himself as doctor Johan Denis from Belgium claims that COVID-19 vaccines are not proven safe or effective.