Posted on: Tue 06-07-2021

The social media has been awash with series of videos and negative reports about the life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. Although research has found that the vaccines are safe, these videos and reports have continued to discredit the efficacy and safety of the different vaccines.

These videos have added to the existing conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly these have promoted vaccine hesitancy in different parts of the world.

For instance, shortly after researchers came up with the first set of vaccines, there were reports about some of the vaccines causing blood clots in humans.

In some other instances, it was being rumoured that the vaccine would change the recipient’s DNA, or cause death within two years.

Governments across the world continue to address the earlier doubts raised by the side effects of the vaccines as well as ensure more doses are available and that the citizens keep to the safety and prevention protocols in order to achieve herd immunity in their domains.

However,  these doubts are now threatening to reduce the mileage in the fight already covered against the pandemic.

In some of the videos, the makers claimed that taking the jab will cause an electric bulb to light up or make the recipient to become magnetic at the site of injection.

Also, there are numerous pictures and videos on social media platforms of people with metallic objects stuck to their arms and bodies following claims that they received the COVID-19 vaccine.

In one particular video, a man claimed that his cellphone became stuck to his arm at the vaccination site after he received the jab at a centre in Lagos.

In yet another viral video, another man claimed that an electric bulb was lighting up at the site of vaccination on his arm.

However, in Nigeria today, due to a lack of trust in the government, particularly in their handling of the pandemic, many eligible people who would have taken the vaccine are now reluctant and also discouraging others. But public health experts say the stories of magnetisation among others as a result of vaccination are false and baseless.

Public health experts react:

Speaking to Good Health Weekly on the unverified claims, the medical experts dismissed their claims, saying the claimants have no scientific proof.

According to them, the COVID-19 vaccine has no microchips that are injected into the recipient’s body along with the vaccine.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will not make the recipient magnetic, including at the site of vaccination, which is usually the arm.

Under its “Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines,” the CDC explains that COVID-19 vaccines do not contain ingredients that can produce an electromagnetic field at the site of injection

The fact sheet explains that “all COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals like iron, nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth alloys, as well as any manufactured products such as microelectronics, electrodes, carbon nanotubes, and nanowire semiconductors”.

It said: “In addition, the typical dose for a COVID-19 vaccine is less than a milliliter, which is not enough to allow magnets to be attracted to your vaccination site even if the vaccine was filled with a magnetic metal.”

In a chat with Good Health Weekly, a Professor of Virologist, Prof Oyewale Tomori, described the claims as outright fake news and ridiculous lies that have been scientifically shown not to be true.

Tomori who cited that millions of people around the world including himself, have taken the vaccines, declared that they are safe. “I hear China vaccinated 30 million people a day,” he said.

On his part, former Chief Medical Director, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Prof Akin Osibogun said the various claims by individuals have no scientific basis.

“The stories about magnets and bulbs are not worth spending time on as they have no scientific basis. They look more like pranks or Antivaxx disinformation efforts.

“The vaccines appear to be generally safe based on our experience with the AstraZeneca vaccine,” he added.

Also in a report, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security, Dr Amesh A. Adalja said: “This is stupid. This is completely made up. There is no new magnetic capacity conferred by being vaccinated.”  

Popular vaccines

Among the COVID-19 vaccines is Pfizer BioNtech vaccine which has been shown to be 95 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19,  using genetic material called mRNA.

Also, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, which comes in a multidose vial, does not need to be diluted and it is said to be a clear to slightly brown colour.  

According to studies, its efficacy ranges between 62 and 90 percent, depending on dosage amount and time between doses.

---

---