Fact check: do not fall for this morphed CNN visual claiming Covid vaccine turns people into zombies

While the world hopes that the advent of the coronavirus vaccine will end the gloomy pandemic days, social media users have made a scathing claim that the vaccine against Covid-19 turns people into zombies.

A screenshot of a television news bulletin showing a hospital ward flushing with blood everywhere is widely shared on social media. The screenshot has a ‘CNN’ logo and a tick that reads: “Breaking News: Hospitals closed as first patients with Covid’s vaccine start eating other patients.” A role read at the bottom, “Nancy Pelosi arrested for DUI”. The upper right corner of the screenshot contains the text “Los Angeles”.

A Facebook user shared the screenshot with the caption: “Yep … you read that right. Zombie apocalypse.” Another user quoted CNN during the viral screenshot.

The archived version of this Post can be seen here.

India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the viral screenshot claiming that Covid-19 vaccines have turned people into zombies has been changed. The hospital photo used on the screenshot is old and relates to the treatment of shooting victims in North Philadelphia, USA.

It claim is viral on Facebook. Some people also share it Twitter.

AFWA investigation

Using reverse image search we found it in a report dated February 14, 2019, by The New York Times. Here the viral image was used with the caption: “The Trauma Bay in the emergency department at Temple University Hospital after resuscitation attempts failed.” The photo was attributed to Eric Curran, a medical student.

In the article, Eric described the sad experience of dealing with and treating the shooting victims. We could not find a CNN report claiming that people turned into cannibalistic zombies after receiving Covid-19 vaccine shots.

How a meme turned into a Covid vaccine rumor

Upon further search, we found the viral screenshot on a meme website ifunny. A user who logs in with the usernameslapgat‘recently shared the viral image on this site.

So it is very likely that a meme created from the ‘Temple University Hospital’ picture and posted on the meme website was later shared on social media, where many believed it.

This claim was also unleash by AFP.

Nancy Pelosi was not arrested

Another proof that the viral screenshot has been changed is the tick with the text “Nancy Pelosi arrested for DIU”. Nancy Pelosi is the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. We found no reliable media report related to Nancy’s arrest. Pelosi’s arrest for DIU, ie driving under the influence, would have spread news in every prominent media.

Basic allegations about Nancy’s arrest and drunkenness were also circulated earlier. Various sites like Political fact and Tampa Bay Times unmasked it earlier.

Covid-19 side effect vaccine story

At present, scientists are not sure about the possible long-term side effects of Covid-19 vaccines. However, it is true that there have been cases worldwide where participants in the Covid-19 vaccine trial complained about certain side effects after they shot the vaccine.

For example, an Indian participant in the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, Covishield assert that he suffered from severe neurological and psychological symptoms after the Covid jab. However, the Serum Institute of India said the symptoms had nothing to do with the vaccine test.

Complications due to Covid-19

Researchers have found that Covid-19 can lead to several neurological complications, including strokes, seizures, and movement disorders. An assistant professor of neurology at the School of Medicine of Boston University, dr. Pria Anand, told CNN: ‘These specific complications of Covid and neurological disorders are more common about your ability to communicate meaningfully with the world. ‘

Although there have sometimes been cases of people claiming side effects from Covid-19 vaccines, the claim that the vaccines turn people into zombies is unfounded. A modified screenshot with the ‘CNN’ logo is being used to spread rumors about people in the US becoming human eaters after shooting the Covid vaccine.