FALSE: COVID-19 vaccines ‘weapons of mass destruction’

At a glance

• Claim: A certain Vernon Coleman says, “COVID-19 vaccines are weapons of mass destruction and could end the human race.”
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: Medical experts widely concur that the COVID-19 vaccines are humanity’s best hope for ending the pandemic.
• Why we fact-checked this: The claim has been circulating around messaging apps.

Complete details

A forwarded message circulating on messaging apps falsely claims that COVID-19 vaccines are “weapons of mass destruction and could end the human race.” The claim is attributed to a certain Vernon Coleman.

The message says that those who have been vaccinated will die, and that those who have been vaccinated will potentially become mass murderers because their bodies will produce the deadly virus. As a result, a genocide will take place. It advises people to stay away from those who have been vaccinated. 

This is false.

Medical experts widely concur that the COVID-19 vaccines are humanity’s best hope for ending the pandemic.

Galit Alter, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in February that vaccines are effective enough to end the pandemic. She said that vaccines could get the world to herd immunity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. It says that vaccines can keep people from getting and spreading the virus, and that vaccines also help keep people from getting seriously ill even if they get infected. It also notes that the vaccines cannot make people sick with COVID-19. 

The Philippines’ Department of Health also says the COVID-19 vaccines being administered to Filipinos have been granted emergency use authorization, which means they are considered safe and effective based on the available evidence to date.

Moreover, Coleman’s claims related to COVID-19 have been debunked by several organizations already, including Science Feedback, Politifact, and Myth Detector.

The dubious claim by Coleman is linked to other conspiracy theories that have also been debunked, namely the “Great Reset,” “Agenda 21,” and the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Rappler debunked a similar claim in April that said COVID-19 vaccines were not proven safe and effective. – JD Moncada/Rappler.com

This article was written by a volunteer of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program, a 5-week exclusive and hands-on training on detecting, investigating, and verifying online misinformation and disinformation.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.