On 18 October 2022, a Georgian Facebook user shared a video with the caption “COVID-19 vaccine — China vaccine disaster.” In the post, the user claims the video shows the result of “the global medical experiment.” The video shared is a compilation of shots purportedly showing Chinese citizens collapsing as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The authors of this video are engaged in video manipulation and the spreading of disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. The clips shown throughout this video have no relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some originating from before the pandemic even began. There is no evidence COVID-19 vaccines are leading to mass death in China.
All COVID-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) are safe and effective at preventing serious disease or death due to the COVID-19 virus. The WHO has authorized the use of three vaccines approved for use in China, namely Convidecia, Sinopharm, and Sinovac, the latter two also being approved for use in Georgia. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) thoroughly assessed the data on quality, safety, and efficacy for all of these vaccines before recommending their use to WHO.
There is clear scientific evidence that COVID-19 vaccines protect people. In January 2022, data from Hong Kong showed that for people aged over 60 years, the risk for death was 20 times lower among those who were fully vaccinated compared with those who were unvaccinated. In the U.S. in March 2022, “unvaccinated people 12 years and older had 17 times the rate of COVID-associated deaths, compared to people vaccinated with a primary series and a booster dose,” according to the U.S. Public Health Service commander Heather Scobie.
The claim that vaccines cause more death than the virus itself is also false. A major study of vaccine side-effects in the U.S. found no link between two COVID shots and the number of deaths recorded after immunization. In addition, many deaths recorded after vaccination are only chronologically related, not causally — in other words, the cause of death could be a traffic accident, but because it came after the person was vaccinated, it is recorded. A study conducted in Taiwan found that the mortality rate seven days after COVID-19 vaccination was much lower than the background mortality rate in the same age group, and that worldwide deaths following COVID-19 vaccination were still much lower than the mortality rates following an outbreak.
The video shared claims otherwise using video manipulation to make their case. The video posted was originally compiled by Rose News and HimalayaNZ News and shared on Rose News’ social media platforms (1, 2) on 16 July 2022. Both channels claim they are the “new Chinese who are taking down the evil Chinese Communist Party” (1, 2, 3) and both have a history of publishing COVID-19 conspiracies related to China. In this case, the video they compiled is made up of clips which have no relation to the COVID-19 vaccine, with many originating before the pandemic even began.
The video compilation consists of 28 short clips, of which we managed to identify three.
The sixth clip shown in the compilation originates from June 2018, two years before the COVID-19 pandemic began. According to news reports at the time (1, 2), the video shows a collision between a delivery driver and an electric vehicle, leading to serious injuries for both parties.
The 16th clip, showing a woman on a yellow sheet, also originates from before the COVID-19 pandemic began. A photo first appeared on Chinese social media in June 2019, stating she was a drowning victim. Videos and photos of this scene were spread again on Chinese social media sites (1, 2, 3) in November 2019, this time claiming she was a murdered university student. While the origin of the video is unknown, it clearly has no relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, given its age.
The 19th clip shows a basketball player collapsing mid-game. According to Chinese media sources (1, 2), the full video dates from July 2020 and shows a 27-year-old man collapsing due to sudden cardiac death. This syndrome, though relatively uncommon, has affected a number of athletes across a number of sports, most recently the Danish football player Christian Eriksen. Such incidents do not have any relation to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Similar anti-vaccine posts have previously been shared across Russian and Georgian social media, which have been fact-checked by Myth Detector. Some examples include:
- Indian Soldiers Became Incapacitated Not By Vaccination But By Sun Exposure
- The Video Recorded In Florence That Was Linked To The Vaccine Side Effects Is Without Evidence
- Disinformation On The Vaccination-Caused Death Of An Adolescent In Israel
Alexandra Kuenning
Erasmus CEERES Master’s student, Intern at Myth Detector
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