A tweet indicating that a vaccine for COVID-19 is not safe and is still being tested among the public is missing an important context in its claim. The vaccine underwent a trial process before it was released, and regulators have repeatedly said it is safe and effective. The user did not name a vaccine by name, but he probably referred to the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine – its deployment has been halted in several countries following reports of side effects.
The tweet was originally posted to an account that no longer exists (twitter.com/simondolan); However, a screenshot has since been circulating on Facebook (here). It reads: “If the ‘vaccine’ was absolutely safe and absolutely adequately tested as we were told, why has it now been discontinued in 16 countries? All these tests they did before would highlight these problems, right? Oh, that’s right, that’s the test, isn ‘t it? [sic]”.
The deployment of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine has been halted in several countries following reports of side effects, including a small number of unusual blood clotting disorders (here). Many of the countries, mostly in Europe, have since resumed using the jab after European regulators said in a preliminary investigation it was found that there was no overall increase in the risk of blood clots. (here). The same regulators, from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), have repeatedly said that the benefits of the vaccine to protect people from the threat of COVID-19 outweigh the potential risks (here).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also said the vaccine is safe to use while research is underway to investigate possible links to rare blood clots. This is because the disease is so uncommon that it can affect only one in every million vaccines, said Mariangela Simao, Assistant Director-General of the WHO (here).
On March 29, scientists released a preview of a study into the cause of blood clots, which found that it may be due to a specific immune system response that looks like heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a known blood disorder. which is treatable if detected immediately. (here, here, here).
The tweet casts doubt on the level of vaccine testing, but all approved COVID-19 vaccines have undergone the standard three-phase trial process to determine safety and efficacy. It is then normal practice to continue monitoring the vaccine during the subsequent roll-out (here).
VERDICT
Missing context. A possible link between the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine and a blood clotting disorder is being investigated, but the incidence is so unusual that regulators have said the benefits of the shot outweigh any risks. It is not accurate to say that the vaccine is still being tested among the population. All approved COVID-19 vaccines have undergone the normal three-phase testing process and it is standard practice to continue monitoring during roll-out.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.