SciCheck Digest
A video repeating the declare that COVID-19 vaccines are accountable for the sudden onset of assorted seen illnesses — reminiscent of fainting and facial paralysis — is making the rounds, once more. However, similar to the opposite, related posts we’ve addressed, there’s no assist for this one, both.
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Regardless of an absence of proof, the prevailing anti-vaccination declare that COVID-19 pictures have precipitated the sudden onset of seen illnesses — mostly, collapsing — continues to be going sturdy.
We’ve debunked a number of variations of this declare over time — together with that athletes are collapsing at increased charges than they used to due to COVID-19 vaccination (they’re not) and that individuals are dying abruptly of blood clots attributable to the vaccines as a part of a plot to depopulate the world (they’re not).
This time the declare has been repackaged in a TikTok video that’s garnered greater than 2 million views and has been copied on different platforms, together with Fb.
The video splices collectively clips of Candace Owens, John MacArthur and Ice Dice — all of whom have expressed opposition to vaccines — with clips of a couple of dozen folks experiencing some kind of medical concern. Owens is a conservative political commentator and well-known anti-vaccine advocate; John MacArthur is a mega-church pastor who defied public well being orders through the pandemic and offered his followers with religious-exemption types for the vaccine; and Ice Dice is a rapper who claims to have been shut out of alternatives as a result of he refused to get vaccinated towards COVID-19. Not one of the incidents featured within the video have been tied to vaccination.
We’ll stroll via every of the examples within the video:
Royal guard: The video begins off with a speedy, three-second lengthy burst of clips displaying varied folks falling and an image of actor Jamie Foxx (we’ll get to him later). The primary body exhibits a British royal guard faint whereas watching over Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin in 2022.
The incident occurred at about 12:30 a.m. on the primary of 5 nights wherein the queen was mendacity in state.
“A member of the vigil was quickly taken unwell and needed to withdraw from the vigil,” the Home of Lords informed Newsweek on the time.
The official didn’t specify what had precipitated the incident, however guards full six-hour shifts in order that the coffin is attended 24 hours a day. It’s not unusual for guards to faint within the midst of ceremonial duties — no less than three handed out in June whereas practising for King Charles’ birthday parade in almost 90-degree warmth.
Throughout preparation for the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011, the British newspaper the Every day Specific printed a narrative with the headline, “Royal guards who’re taught how you can faint.” The article defined that guards should “faint to consideration,” falling ahead moderately than backward.
Garrison Sergeant-Main Billy Mott, the chief drill teacher for the marriage, beneficial that guards begin the day with a five-mile run, an excellent breakfast, loads of water and “lots of toe wiggling and calf-tensing” with the intention to keep away from fainting whereas they’re standing in place for hours at a time.
“In case you are resting in your heels the blood doesn’t movement again to the mind,” Mott stated. Main Dai Bevan, who was additionally concerned in directing the marriage fanfare, stated that he does equations in his head with the intention to keep alert and keep away from fainting.
In 2022, the British Military studied fainting amongst guards by having 10 of them put on high-tech vests to gather physiological information throughout an occasion that June.
“Troopers on sizzling parade grounds have traditionally been skilled to sway backward and forwards or clench their muscle tissue and guarantee they’re absolutely hydrated,” the Military wrote in a submit in regards to the research, explaining how guards have been skilled to keep away from fainting.
Humorist: Subsequent is a clip displaying comic Heather McDonald move out on stage throughout a present in Tempe, Arizona in February 2022.
McDonald had been making a joke that began by saying she’d been vaccinated towards COVID-19 after which, inside seconds, had fallen to the ground.
This incident has been broadly utilized by anti-vaccine advocates to say that there’s a connection between the pictures and sudden collapse, however McDonald has been vocal from the start explaining that her fall had nothing to do with vaccination.
“American Idol” contestant: One other brief clip on this part exhibits Funke Lagoke — a contestant on the fact present “American Idol” — faint as she receives suggestions from the judges in March 2021.
She was reportedly hospitalized for dehydration and took to Instagram the subsequent day to speak in regards to the incident. She made no point out of vaccination.
Los Angeles meteorologist: The primary prolonged instance within the video exhibits Alissa Carlson — a meteorologist for the Los Angeles CBS affiliate, KCAL Information — faint throughout a March 18 newscast.
Above the clip included within the TikTok video is textual content that claims, “WEATHER WOMAN COLLAPSES ON LIVE TV.”
It’s true that Carlson fainted on tv, however there’s nothing to recommend that the episode was associated to vaccination.
Slightly, Carlson defined afterward, she has a leaky coronary heart valve and has been recognized with vasovagal syncope, which is fainting resulting from an overreaction by the physique to sure triggers.
“I do have a historical past of fainting,” Carlson informed the hosts of “CBS Mornings” on March 21. “It’s simply while you’re on a public platform, generally it occurs and other people now see this,” she stated, referring to the clips of her episode which were circulating on-line.
Carlson reported that her physician attributed the episode to vasovagal syncope and made no point out of vaccination in any respect.
Soccer analyst: Subsequent up is a clip displaying ESPN soccer analyst Shaka Hislop move out simply earlier than a July 23 recreation.
The next day, Hislop — trying wholesome — posted a video saying, “Nicely, that was awkward.”
He thanked his household, associates, and followers for his or her assist. “On occasion life offers you second to pause and this was mine,” he stated, explaining that he would “search out the very best medical opinion that I can get and hearken to what my medical doctors must say.”
Hislop hasn’t offered any replace on what medical doctors have stated might have precipitated his collapse, however there’s nothing to recommend that it was vaccine-related.
Danish well being official: The following clip exhibits Tanja Erichsen, a Danish well being official, move out throughout a press convention in April 2021.
False claims that Erichsen was having a response to a COVID-19 vaccine have circulated earlier than. However, because the Danish fact-checking web site TjekDet wrote in 2021, Erichsen hadn’t even been vaccinated towards the illness on the time of the incident.
Kim Voigt Østrøm, a spokesperson for the Danish Medicines Company, informed TjekDet that Erichsen hadn’t but been vaccinated, “So all hypothesis a couple of connection in that course has no foundation.”
Like most international locations, Denmark began rolling out the vaccines to essentially the most susceptible populations in late 2020 via early 2021.
Tiffany Dover: Subsequent up is without doubt one of the very first clips for use in furtherance of any such declare — a deceptively edited video from late December 2020 displaying one of many first nurses to get a COVID-19 shot at CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The nurse, Tiffany Dover, defined shortly after she fainted, “I’ve a historical past of getting an overactive vagal response and, so, with that, if I’ve ache from something — cling nail or I stub my toe — I can simply move out.”
We wrote in regards to the clip and related claims on Dec. 18, 2020, and, since then, it’s been used repeatedly to recommend that there’s one thing harmful in regards to the vaccines in addition to changing into the middle of a conspiracy idea that claims Dover truly died. She didn’t. That declare was coated in depth in a latest podcast sequence from NBC Information.
The clip of Dover fainting doesn’t point out something in regards to the security of the vaccines, moderately it simply exhibits an individual with a historical past of fainting after she experiences minor ache.
“NCIS” actress: Subsequent is a clip displaying actress Pauley Perrette, finest identified for her position in CBS’ crime drama “NCIS,” telling her Twitter followers that she’d had a stroke in September 2021.
Stroke is the fifth-leading reason behind demise in ladies, in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, and one-fifth of girls between the ages of 55 and 75 may have one. Perrette was 52 on the time of her stroke.
Elements that enhance the chance of a stroke embody hypertension, smoking, and sure kinds of contraception, in accordance with the CDC.
Perrette spoke to “Leisure Tonight” a yr after her stroke and inspired folks to study the signs of a stroke in order that they’ll get therapy rapidly.
“[I] actually need folks to get educated about all indicators of a stroke, particularly which you can have one at any age! By figuring out indicators of a stroke, we will save ourselves and others,” she stated.
There’s no proof that Perrette’s stroke was associated to vaccination.
Bronny James: The next instance is without doubt one of the most up-to-date: Basketball star LeBron James’ son, who goes by Bronny James, suffered cardiac arrest throughout a school basketball apply on July 24. The trigger hasn’t been publicly launched.
Dr. Celine Gounder — a senior fellow on the Kaiser Household Basis and a medical contributor for CBS Information — not too long ago mentioned attainable causes of James’ situation, together with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is when there’s a thickening of the guts muscle, and genetic arrhythmia, which is an irregular coronary heart rhythm inherited via genetics.
“I wish to be very clear — this has nothing to do with COVID-19 vaccines,” stated Gounder, who needed to take care of related false claims after her husband died of an aneurysm in December.
“Over 80% of the American inhabitants has now had a COVID vaccination, if not a couple of,” she stated, explaining that associating a medical occasion like James’ with vaccination “can be like saying, you realize, I would like my tooth pulled out subsequent week, that have to be as a result of I had COVID vaccination.”
“These are unrelated occasions,” she stated, “however that is straight out of the anti-vaxx playbook to say, ‘effectively, simply asking questions.’”
“The intent right here is to sow confusion,” Gounder stated.
Different reality checkers have addressed this declare and a latest research printed within the British Journal of Sports activities Drugs discovered that athletes are usually not at elevated danger for coronary heart issues after vaccination.
Damar Hamlin: An identical instance comes subsequent within the TikTok video: the collapse of Buffalo Payments’ security Damar Hamlin, who suffered from commotio cordis throughout a recreation on Jan. 2 after being hit within the chest. Commotio cordis can happen when a blow to the chest disrupts the heartbeat and causes cardiac arrest.
That is one other one which we’ve written about earlier than, when social media customers started posting baseless claims that his ailment was the results of vaccination.
As we wrote on the time, “this isn’t one thing that individuals ought to go speculate about vaccines or something like that inflicting this cardiac arrest,” Dr. Brian Sutterer, a bodily drugs and rehabilitation specialist, stated in a YouTube video. “There was a transparent contact, a transparent trauma, and I believe a transparent purpose why, sadly, this occurred for Hamlin.”
Tori Kelly: Then the video performs clips reporting that Grammy-award successful singer Tori Kelly was not too long ago hospitalized for blood clots.
It’s true that she was hospitalized on July 24 and she or he confirmed on Instagram that she’s been coping with “some sudden well being challenges.” She has since been launched from the hospital and introduced an upcoming tour.
On the July 25 episode of “Good Morning America,” ABC Information chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton stated of blood clots, “It completely can occur in younger folks,” noting that blood clots kill as much as 100,000 folks yearly within the U.S.
“The medical time period, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, that’s when a clot types — generally within the decrease extremity, within the venous circulation, within the leg — after which travels as much as the guts, will get lodged within the lung. It will possibly journey to the mind, it could actually trigger a stroke, a coronary heart assault. It is a vital concern and it’s a medical emergency,” Ashton stated.
“I believe that a very powerful factor for folks to know is that, sure, it could actually occur to younger folks — notably ladies on contraception, hormones, after surgical procedure, in the event that they sit at a desk job, extended journey, or immobilization,” she stated.
There’s no proof that Kelly’s situation has something to do with vaccination and, in truth, neither of the 2 mRNA vaccines obtainable within the U.S. — which account for the overwhelming majority of doses — has been linked to clotting, as we’ve defined earlier than.
The Biebers: The TikTok video additionally repeats a pair of claims about well being issues suffered by the superstar couple Justin and Hailey Bieber — each of which we’ve addressed.
Justin Bieber canceled some exhibits in June 2022 as a result of he had developed Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which is precipitated by the chickenpox virus. As we defined on the time, Ramsay Hunt syndrome is much like shingles in that it happens when the virus reactivates and impacts the facial nerve, typically inflicting facial paralysis.
In March of that yr, Hailey Bieber had a mini-stroke and, as we stated on the time, she defined in an April 27 YouTube video that her medical doctors attributed the clot that precipitated the stroke to a “excellent storm” of three components.
“One was that I had only in the near past began contraception tablets, which I ought to have by no means been on as a result of I’m any person who suffered from migraines anyway, and I simply didn’t discuss to my physician about this,” she stated. “The second factor was I had not too long ago had COVID, and that was one thing that they thought was a contributing issue. And the third factor was that I had not too long ago gone on a extremely lengthy flight — I had flown to Paris and again in a really brief period of time — and I slept via the entire flight each methods, didn’t rise up and transfer round, by no means thought of sporting compression socks.”
She by no means talked about vaccination and there’s no proof linking both of the couple’s situations to the shot.
Basketball commentator: Bob Rathbun, the announcer for the Atlanta Hawks, had been sick earlier than a recreation on Dec. 5, 2022, however thought he might nonetheless carry out earlier than going residence. Shortly after he took his seat for a pre-game dialogue, although, he had an episode that seemed like a seizure.
“Emergency medical professionals on-site rapidly handled Rathbun for dehydration,” the Hawks stated in an announcement on the time. “He’s secure, responsive and heading to Emory Midtown for additional analysis.”
He was put via a battery of checks and medical doctors concluded that “the vomiting and dehydration, a drop in his magnesium ranges and his blood stress contributed to a wonderfully horrible storm in his physique and led to the collapse,” in accordance with The Athletic, which interviewed him in regards to the incident a couple of week later. “He was given fluids and finally recovered.”
There was no point out of vaccination.
Jamie Foxx: Lastly, the video repeats a declare made by gossip columnist A.J. Benza about actor Jamie Foxx, who was hospitalized for what his consultant known as a “medical emergency” in April.
Benza, amongst others, then claimed that Foxx’s emergency was attributable to COVID-19 vaccination. However, whereas Foxx’s representatives haven’t disclosed what sort of well being emergency he had, they’ve known as Benza’s declare “utterly inaccurate.”
So, as with the opposite examples used within the TikTok video, there’s nothing linking vaccination to Foxx’s situation.
Editor’s be aware: SciCheck’s articles offering correct well being data and correcting well being misinformation are made attainable by a grant from the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis. The inspiration has no management over FactCheck.org’s editorial choices, and the views expressed in our articles don’t essentially replicate the views of the inspiration.
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