Health & medicine fact checks

Die Verabreichung von Covid-19-Impfstoffen bedeutete für rund 5.000 Personen in der Europäischen Union den Tod.

Publisher’s rating: Der zitierte Entschließungsantrag einer einzelnen EU-Abgeordneten stellt Zahlen über vermeintliche Nebenwirkungen falsch dar, denn es handelt sich dabei um unbestätigte Verdachtsfälle. Die Behauptung im Beitrag, «die Verabreichung von Covid-19-Impfstoffen bedeutete für rund 5000 Personen in der Europäischen Union den Tod», ist deshalb schlichtweg falsch.

The claim arose from a blogger’s interpretation of a resolution proposal submitted by French MEP Virginie Joron. The dpa review examined whether the proposal’s figures supported the assertion that Covid-19 vaccines had caused around 5,000 deaths in the EU. It reports that Joron’s proposal relied on EMA figures from the EudraVigilance reporting system, but left out a crucial qualification: the entries are reports of suspected, not confirmed, adverse effects. The EMA cautions that such reports do not establish that a medicine caused the reported effect. The review also explains why the reported figures cannot be read as a count of vaccine-caused deaths. An EMA spokesperson told dpa that a health problem or death occurring after vaccination does not necessarily result from the vaccine; it may have another cause. In addition, a single person can generate multiple reports of suspected effects, including when the person dies. The EMA spokesperson therefore said that the total number of reported adverse effects exceeds the total number of fatal cases. The review concludes that the number of deaths caused by vaccination cannot be derived from the database. The proposal itself was not an EU decision or an adopted compensation plan: it was a request that the European Commission establish a fund. These distinctions matter because neither the proposal nor counts of unconfirmed reports establish that vaccination caused the deaths claimed.

Murió Myriam Bourla, esposa del CEO de Pfizer, a causa de la vacuna contra el covid-19

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim was that Myriam Bourla, wife of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, died on November 10, 2021, from complications caused by a COVID-19 vaccine. The review traces it to a Conservative Beaver article that purported to attribute the death to a doctor and to describe an emergency-room death in New York. Univision’s elDetector reports that it checked the allegation through web searches and comparisons with other fact-checks, rather than finding it substantiated by reliable reporting. The review cites a Pfizer spokesperson’s direct denial: the spokesperson told India’s Newschecker that Bourla’s wife “está viva y sana.” It also reports that searches by other fact-checkers found no supporting evidence: PolitiFact found no news clips confirming her death, and USA Today found no obituary. Those checks do not independently establish every detail of her circumstances, but they contradict the claim that her death was publicly confirmed as alleged. A particularly direct piece of evidence addresses the specific date in the claim. On November 11, Bourla posted a photograph with his wife from the previous night’s Atlantic Council Distinguished Leadership Awards ceremony. The review says it compared the image with the event’s photo and video records and found the venue and screen graphics matched. Taken together, the spokesperson’s denial and the contemporaneous event evidence contradict the story that Myriam Bourla had died on November 10.

Le chef d'un hôpital allemand s'est suicidé à cause du génocide entraîné par la vaccination contre le Covid-19.

Publisher’s rating: Il n'existe aucune preuve montrant que le suicide du directeur serait lié à la vaccination contre le Covid-19. La police et les autorités de la ville de Chemnitz n'ont connaissance d'aucune lettre d’adieu.

The claim concerns the death of the head of the Chemnitz hospital in Germany and a social-media image purporting to show his farewell letter. The image allegedly attributed to him a statement calling Covid-19 vaccines a “genocide.” The investigation examined whether there was evidence for that letter or for a connection between the director’s death and vaccination. The report says the City of Chemnitz announced the director’s “tragic death” on 2 November 2021, and German media subsequently reported suicide as a possible explanation. It describes the alleged letter as a claim that appeared on social media after news of the death. The report found no supporting evidence for the letter’s existence or its alleged contents. For its checks, the agency contacted a Chemnitz police spokesperson, who said on 9 November that police had no knowledge of any farewell letter. A spokesperson for mayor Sven Schulze gave the same response to dpa the following day. The report also checked the Bild article shared alongside the Facebook posts: it covered the hospital chief’s death but did not mention vaccination or a farewell letter. This evidence addresses the central claim about the alleged letter, while the excerpt does not establish the specific cause of death.

যে যেতিয়া ৰোগীজন চিকিৎসাৰ বাবে ভাৰতলৈ আহিছিল, দেখা গৈছিল যে পইতাচোৰাটো বুকুত নহয় কিন্তু এক্স-ৰে যন্ত্ৰত আছিল। পোষ্টটোৰ আৰ্কাইভ লিংক ইয়াত দেখা যাব।

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

Compilatievideo met meerdere claims dat coronavaccins onveilig zijn.

Publisher’s rating: Twee van de drie mannen, Burkhardt en Cole, doen foute uitspraken over de coronavaccins. Malone geeft enkel zijn mening. Er is geen enkel bewijs dat de coronavaccins het immuunsysteem beschadigen, integendeel: ze versterken het juist.

The review concerns a Facebook video introduced with the line “For those who still wanted a booster,” in which Arne Burkhardt, Robert Malone and Ryan Cole each question coronavirus-vaccine safety or effectiveness. It assesses their claims individually rather than treating the three speakers’ statements as equally supported. The video begins with Burkhardt discussing slides at a press conference in Reutlingen on 20 September. The review says his claim that the slides showed unprecedented changes was not scientifically substantiated: he did not establish causation, and the methods and origin of the samples were unclear. Malone, described as having been involved in early research and development of mRNA technology, offers an opinion in the particular clip, according to the review. Cole’s segment makes more specific claims: that vaccines weaken the immune system and that he had seen a twenty-fold increase in cervical cancer cases. The review notes that he supplied no figures or evidence beyond his own anecdotal account. It also points out that a comparison was difficult to establish because there were no coronavirus vaccines in 2020 and 2021 figures were not yet available while that year was still underway. On Cole’s further claim that vaccination reduces CD8 T cells, the review acknowledges that these cells have an important role in acquired immune responses to viruses and tumours, but says there was no evidence that coronavirus vaccines negatively affect them. It cites Johns Hopkins professor Joel Blankson on data showing a strong vaccine-induced T-cell response, and University of Pennsylvania vaccinology professor Paul Offit’s view that there was no reason to think the vaccines weaken the immune system. The review’s conclusion therefore distinguishes unsupported or incorrect claims from Malone’s opinion, and addresses the immune-system allegation with the evidence it reports.

Myriam Bourla - esposa do CEO da Pfizer, Albert Bourla - morreu de complicações com a vacina COVID-19 na quarta-feira, de acordo com seu médico.

Publisher’s rating: Falso

El bajo número de casos diarios de covid-19 en Florida evidencia un manejo exitoso de la pandemia

Publisher’s rating: Engañoso

Weil Boostern notwendig ist, ist klar, dass die Impfung nicht schützt. Trotzdem sollen sich die Ungeimpften mit der nur angeblich schützenden Impfung immunisieren lassen.

Publisher’s rating: Die Impfung ist wirksam und schützt nachweislich sehr gut vor schweren Corona-Verläufen. Eine erneute Impfung soll den nach einigen Monaten nachlassenden Schutz auffrischen.

The review examines a Facebook image that treated the rollout of third Covid-19 vaccinations during Germany’s fourth wave as evidence that vaccination did not work. It rejects the implied contradiction between recommending boosters for some people and inviting unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. The review explains that vaccination can provide substantial protection without preventing every infection, and that a booster is intended to restore protection that wanes over time. To assess protection, the review reports estimates from the Robert Koch Institute’s weekly report of 11 November 2021. Since early February, estimated protection against symptomatic infection was about 82% for adults aged 18–59 and 80% for people aged 60 or older. It also reports estimated protection against hospitalization of about 88% and 85%, respectively, and against intensive-care treatment of about 93% and 90%. The review notes the RKI’s warning that these estimates should be interpreted cautiously, while also quoting its conclusion that the estimates confirmed high vaccine effectiveness. The evidence therefore distinguishes protection against infection from protection against severe outcomes, and initial vaccination from a later booster. The review says protection against infection was not 100%, and describes evidence that protection against symptomatic infection declined after the second dose. It also reports that the vaccination advisory commission recommended boosters particularly for people aged 70 or older, care workers, and people with immune-system disorders, with the aim of renewing protection against symptomatic and severe illness.

30 552 décès après vaccination contre le Covid-19 en Europe.

Publisher’s rating: Ce tableau n'est absolument pas correct car les chiffres exposés sont sortis de leur contexte. Ceux-ci concernent des signalements d'effets indésirables survenus chez des personnes vaccinées, mais qui ne sont pas nécessairement liés aux vaccins.

The claim concerns a Facebook post from 14 November 2021 that presented 30,552 as deaths caused by Covid-19 vaccination in Europe. The review identifies the total as the sum of four figures attributed to Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen: 14,303, 8,386, 6,070 and 1,793 respectively. It says those numbers do appear on the European Medicines Agency’s platform, but explains that the post’s table did not come from the EMA database itself. The review describes how the figures were obtained: users selected Covid-19 reports, then the option for individual cases for a selected reaction, and finally “fatal outcome.” These are reports of suspected adverse effects, not confirmed vaccine-caused deaths. The review quotes the database’s explanation that events observed after vaccination “are not necessarily related or caused by the vaccine” and may instead have another cause or be associated with another medicine. The total therefore does not establish that 30,552 people died because of vaccination. The review also notes that database records can include duplicates and that adding fatal reports across reaction categories does not give the total number of fatal cases, because one individual case can include more than one suspected adverse effect.

Das Italienische Oberste Gesundheitsinstitut (ISS) hat die Zahl der Covid-Todesopfer von 130 000 auf 4 000 korrigiert.

Publisher’s rating: Die Behauptung ist falsch. Bis 5. Oktober 2021 starben 130 468 Italiener an Covid-19. In 2,9 Prozent der Fälle lag keine Vorerkrankung vor. Das bedeutet aber nicht, dass nur diese 3 783 Personen an den Folgen der Erkrankung starben. Die verbleibenden 97,1 Prozent verstarben nämlich nicht ursächlich an ihren Vorerkrankungen. Richtig ist laut dem italienischen Gesundheitsinstitut vielmehr, dass 89 Prozent der Todesfälle direkt auf eine Erkrankung an Covid-19 zurückzuführen waren.

সাবেক প্রধানমন্ত্রী বেগম খালেদা জিয়ার সুস্থতা কামনা করছি

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

Le Parlement européen demande une indemnisation des victimes des vaccins contre le Covid-19.

Publisher’s rating: C’est faux. La demande en question est réelle, mais provient d’une seule députée européenne et non de l’ensemble du Parlement. Il s’agit d’une proposition de résolution, qui n’est pas contraignante et au sujet de laquelle le Parlement n’est pas obligé de donner suite. De plus, les chiffres relayés par la députée ont été sortis de leur contexte.

Los niños enviados a la escuela serán vacunados sin el consentimiento de los padres

Publisher’s rating: Falso / engañoso

Auch symptomlose Patienten mit positivem Coronatest zählen für die Krankenhausampel und die Intensivbetten-Belegung

Publisher’s rating: Korrekt. Jeder mit Corona infizierte Intensivpatient geht als "Coronapatient" in die Statistik ein, auch wenn er oder sie wegen etwas anderem behandelt wird. Die Person sei ansteckend, müsse isoliert werden und brauche besondere Pflege. Die Statistik werde dadurch nicht verfälscht, sagen Behörden; der Anteil dieser "symptomlosen Coronapatienten" sei sehr gering.

Het patent van Moderna (voor het coronavaccin) komt al uit 2016.

Publisher’s rating: De eerste stap voor het patent in kwestie werd in 2015 gezet. Het patent is voor algemene mRNA-vaccins en de bijkomende techniek die Moderna ontwikkelde. Deze zouden kunnen worden toegepast in vaccins voor diverse coronavirussen. Het SARS-CoV-2-virus dat COVID-19 veroorzaakt wordt nergens in het patent genoemd. Het gaat hier dan ook niet om een patent voor dit specifieke vaccin.

The review identifies the document circulated in the post as US patent 10,702,600 B1, approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 7, 2020. It distinguishes that patent from a patent for Moderna’s specific COVID-19 vaccine: the document concerns mRNA vaccines for betacoronaviruses, and the review reports that SARS-CoV-2 is not named in it. The patent therefore does not establish that Moderna had a patent for its specific COVID-19 vaccine in 2016. The timeline also explains why 2016 appears in the post. According to the review, Moderna formally filed the patent on February 28, 2020, after making a priority application on October 22, 2015. It identifies the date highlighted in the post—October 21, 2016—as the date of a PCT international application, not the first step in the patent process. The post’s date thus refers to one stage of a broader application timeline, while the patent’s scope does not identify the specific COVID-19 vaccine.

Impfstoffe von BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna sowie AstraZeneca dürfen demnächst in der EU nicht mehr verimpft werden. Als Zeitpunkte werden der 22. Dezember 2021, der 6. Jänner 2022 und der 29. Jänner 2022 genannt.

Publisher’s rating: Es handelt sich um Falschinformationen. Die Corona-Impfstoffe kommen über die Zeitpunkte hinaus in der EU weiter zur Anwendung.

The claim concerned whether BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines would soon no longer be permitted for use in the EU, naming 22 December 2021, 6 January 2022 and 29 January 2022. The review explains that these dates likely referred to the expiry of each vaccine’s first year of conditional marketing authorisation—not to a final end to its authorisation. The review states that such authorisations were valid for one year and had to be renewed annually. [S1]

Im Krankenhaus im österreichischen Bludenz werden vollständig Geimpfte, die wegen eines schweren Covid-19-Verlaufs auf der Intensivstation behandelt werden, auf ungeimpft „umgestellt“.

Publisher’s rating: Falsch. Im betreffenden Krankenhaus werde der Impfstatus der Corona-Patientinnen und –patienten keinesfalls verändert, so eine Sprecherin. Zudem wird die Zahl der Antikörper dort nicht erhoben.

Auf einer Impfstoff-Verpackung von Astrazeneca ist das Jahr 2018 aufgedruckt.

Publisher’s rating: Das Foto wurde manipuliert. Es wurde in der wahrscheinlichen Originalversion bereits im November 2020 unter anderem auf Twitter verbreitet (archiviert). Auf diesem Foto ist kein aufgedrucktes Herstellungsdatum auf der linken Verpackungslasche zu erkennen. Das angebliche Herstellungsdatum wurde also nachträglich hinzugefügt. Das Originalfoto ist sehr wahrscheinlich in einer britischen Verpackungsfirma entstanden.

En Allemagne, les autopsies prouvent que la vaccination contre le Covid-19 cause de nombreux décès.

Publisher’s rating: Les déclarations des deux pathologistes, aujourd’hui à la retraite, sont douteuses d’un point de vue scientifique et ont été réfutées à plusieurs reprises par d’autres experts allemands.

The claim grew from a press conference by German pathologists Arne Burkhardt and Walter Lang in Reutlingen on 20 September 2021. They said they had performed ten autopsies on people who died soon after vaccination; they classified five deaths as very probably vaccine-related and two as probably related. Those were the pathologists’ assessments, not proof that vaccination caused the deaths. The article reports that Germany’s pathology organizations, the DGP and BDP, said the conclusions were personal opinions rather than scientifically established facts, and that the conference could not establish a causal link. The article also describes disputes over the material and methods behind the claims. Burkhardt and Lang alleged that vaccine samples contained suspicious substances, including metallic or undefined elements and parasites. Virologist Christian Drosten said some alleged impurities could result from sample dehydration during microscopy; Ulm military hospital pathology chief Konrad Steinestel described many displayed samples as contaminated. Correctiv’s consulted scientists said the research methods and sample origins were unclear, making scientific conclusions impossible. Taken together, the reporting does not support treating the autopsies as proof that vaccination caused numerous deaths.

SPD-Gesundheitsexperte Lauterbach fordert: Knast für Ungeimpfte.

Publisher’s rating: Rating unavailable