Recently the AAP Fact Check team has assessed several vaccine-related claims, debunking myths about: the impact of COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand; aerosol vaccines in Brisbane; and the benefit of tetanus vaccines.
An article circulating online suggests that New Zealand’s vaccine rollout caused an increase in COVID-19 deaths. The Fact Check team demonstrates that an increase in COVID-19 deaths was related to increased transmission, and that high vaccination rates were estimated to have contributed to 4600 to 9500 lives saved between January 2022 and June 2023.
Read the full article here, AAP Fact Check: No, vaccination wasn’t the cause of COVID deaths in NZ
An Instagram post tied images of undulatus cloud formations over Brisbane to myths surrounding the development of a needle-free COVID-19 vaccine. Contrary to the Instagram post’s implication that the new vaccine is being deployed by aircraft, the needle-free vaccine Canadian researchers are developing cannot be administered this way, and would be inhaled through a mouthpiece. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the clouds are a natural weather phenomenon.
Read the full article here, AAP Fact Check: Claim about aerosol vaccine operation clouds the truth
Another Instagram posts claims that tetanus vaccination provides little benefit, promoting vitamin C as an alternative treatment. The Fact Check team shows that tetanus infections and deaths declined significantly following the introduction on tetanus vaccines. Fact Check systematically addresses the many claims made in the original video, providing evidence for the safety and importance of tetanus vaccination.
Read the full article here, AAP Fact Check: Tetanus vaccine claims shot down by experts