Thousands of Facebook users have shared a video making false allegations about the side effects of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19, such as the Pfizer / BioNtech and Moderna jabs. These allegations are unfounded and contradict the evidence that the injections are safe.
The clip features a woman named Professor Dolores Cahill (people.ucd.ie/dolores.cahill), who repeatedly disseminated incorrect information about COVID-19 (here, here, here and here). She says: ‘Anyone over the age of 70 who gets one of these mRNA vaccines is likely to die within two to three years.
‘And I would say that anyone who gets the mRNA injection, no matter what age you are, your life expectancy will be reduced, you know, die if you’re in your thirties within five to ten years, and you’ll probably have allergies, neuro-cognitive problems, inflammation and of course infertility are the most important ”(here).
Reuters contacted Cahill for comment, but received no response before it was published.
DEATH
Scientists from the Meedan Health Desk (here) saw the video and replied: “Research shows that mRNA vaccines are safe and effective. Nevertheless, false and misleading online claims sow confusion about mRNA side effects. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have not caused any deaths in clinical trials, and there is no theoretical reason to believe that mRNA vaccines would cause humans or cause serious harm. ”(Here)
Meedan suggested that the misinformation could stem from a report by the British government, which was published at the end of March, which was based on easing the restrictions on the closure. One paragraph said: ‘The rise in both hospitalizations and deaths is dominated by those who have received two doses of the vaccine, which make up about 60% and 70% of the wave, respectively’ (here, page 10).
However, this does not indicate that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are ineffective or that anyone is at higher risk for death. First, the report is based on projection modeling for when the locking is facilitated, rather than reporting existing data. Second, deaths are predicted among older, vaccinated individuals because they had the greatest uptake and the greatest health risk. The report explains: “This (modeling) is not the result of vaccines being ineffective, but that the uptake is just as high” (page 18).
The Meedan scientists added that false allegations about mRNA death risks could also be linked to adverse events reported after vaccination, through the UK Yellow Card Scheme and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in the USA. However, these programs do not determine if a jab is causing the reported events and sometimes contains errors.
Cahill’s unsubstantiated allegations can also be linked to misinformation that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines cause lethal cytokine storms, an overproduction of proteins called cytokines, which can lead to respiratory problems and death. Reuters dropped this claim here.
NEURO-COGNITIVE ISSUES
There is also no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines cause neurocognitive problems, a general term meaning that someone experiences less mental function due to a disease other than psychiatric illness (bit.ly/3adZeKE).
The Meedan scientists noted that a neurological disease called functional neurological disorder can be the result of vaccination, but is caused by ‘physically and emotionally charged events’, such as the process of being vaccinated, rather than the vaccine itself (here) .
INFLAMMATION
Common side effects of mRNA vaccines include pain, redness and swelling, but research from clinical trials of the Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines has not linked the shots to any prolonged inflammation or swelling.
One of the first studies looking at the impact of mRNA COVID-19 jabs on people with pre-existing chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, found that patients respond well with relatively minimal side effects (here).
Experts from Meedan have acknowledged that some cases of rheumatoid arthritis have been recognized after Modern and Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccinations, but say there is not enough evidence to say that immunization is the cause. They added: “There is no existing evidence or theoretical reasons to suggest that inflammation by mRNA COVID-19 vaccines is of concern.”
ERROR
There is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines increase the risk of miscarriage, as explained here by Reuters. According to scientists from Meedan, an important origin of this myth was a letter from 2021 sent to the European Medicines Agency by two European anti-vaccination propagandists, who falsely claimed that the “vaccine contained a vein protein called syncytin-1. [that is] vital for the human placenta in women. ”(Argief.is/3wrkS)
Syncytin-1 is an important protein for the human placenta, and the destruction of this protein can disrupt its formation, which can lead to infertility or miscarriage. However, the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not contain syncytin-1 and also do not instruct the body to generate antibodies to the protein.
The experts added that although fertility was not studied in clinical trials with vaccines, no decrease in fertility was reported among trial participants, in animal studies or among the millions who received the mRNA vaccines in the real world.
“What can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes is COVID-19: evidence shows that infection earlier in pregnancy increases the risk of complications, ranging from increased need for ventilation to fetal death,” they said (here).
VERDICT
Untrue. There is no evidence that mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 cause serious damage or premature death.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.