A video showing an LED screen with a series of misleading allegations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is being shared online. Incorrect information suggests that COVID-19 vaccines are not being tested, that vaccines cause autism, and that “COVID is a psychological operation that is collapsing the world economy.” Other claims made in the video fall outside the scope of this check.
The video, which was filmed in Ireland (here), shows the LED screen with the message: ‘untested COVID vaccine has’ significant side effects’ “. It is unclear how it would be possible to know that a vaccine had significant side effects without testing; The two vaccines available in Ireland when the video was released, by Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, have been tested on tens of thousands of people and are safe and effective (here and here).
The video later shows the message: “Vaccines cause autism” (here Timestamp 0.44). This myth has been widespread since a recently withdrawn Lancet article (here) was published in 1998, claiming that there was a link between the MMR vaccine and developmental disorders in children. Several subsequent studies could not repeat the findings of the paper (here and here), and the lead author of the study was later found guilty by the UK General Medical Council of ‘dishonesty and controversial ethics protocols’ (here) and was banned from taking medicine in to practice the United Kingdom (here).
Studies have since shown that vaccines do not cause autism and that there is no higher incidence of autism in vaccinated children compared to non-vaccinated children (here and here and here and links under ‘is the vaccine safe?’ Here vk.ovg. ox.ac.uk / vk / mmr vaccine). The US Centers for Disease Control (here), the British National Health Service (here) and the World Health Organization (here) have all said that no link between autism and vaccines has been established.
The video also displays the phrase: “COVID is a psychological operation to collapse the world economy” (here). Reuters has previously (here, here, here and here) unmasked similar claims.
More than 100 million people were caused by the COVID-19 outbreak (here) which resulted in more than two million deaths. The virus that causes COVID-19 has been shown to exist independently in different countries (examples: China here, South Korea here, Canada here and Italy here) and the genetic sequences for different strains of the virus found in different countries consecutive is readily available online.
VERDICT
Untrue. Vaccines have been tested to be safe and effective. Vaccines do not cause autism. COVID-19 is a real disease, and the virus that causes it has been proven to be independent in different countries.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work here.