"Magnets Stick After Pfizer and Moderna Vaccination"...Rumors Spread as Vaccinated Numbers Rise in the US

The cumulative number of vaccinations combining both first and second doses nationwide reached 10,755,652, surpassing 10 million within 101 days since the start of vaccinations. The photo is unrelated to the article content. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] As the number of COVID-19 vaccine recipients increases, it has been confirmed that fake news related to vaccines is spreading.

The main fake news includes claims such as "microchips are implanted in the human body through vaccines," "mRNA vaccines alter human DNA," and "the coronavirus in the vaccine can be transmitted to others."

Recently, the U.S. economic magazine Forbes introduced fake news raised about COVID vaccines in an article titled "Microchips, Magnets, Transmission: 5 COVID Vaccine Conspiracy Theories Spreading Online."

Videos showing magnets sticking to the vaccinated area have spread, with claims that vaccination causes "magnetism" that attracts metal. They said, "When randomly tested on Pfizer and Moderna vaccine recipients at a California beach, 6 out of 15 people, or 40%, had magnets stick to them," and "If some components remain in the arm, magnets can stick."

This was especially widely shared on social networking services (SNS) with the hashtag "magnet challenge." One woman who posted a video of a magnet sticking to her arm explained, "I put saliva on the magnet," and said, "It was 100% a prank."

These claims seem to have originated from fake news related to Microsoft founder Bill Gates implanting microchips in the body through vaccines. Forbes pointed out, "Bill Gates' efforts to promote vaccines were misinterpreted as an attempt to establish a global surveillance system."

Dr. Rochelle Walensky of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dismissed the claim that the AstraZeneca vaccine enables Bluetooth connectivity for recipients as "nonsense," stating, "What is injected into us is not a chip but a scientific breakthrough that keeps us safe."

A woman claims that she developed 'magnetism' that attracts metal objects after getting vaccinated. Photo by YouTube Capture

Additionally, some claim that mRNA vaccines like Moderna and Pfizer alter human DNA.

Experts have stated that there is a fundamental misunderstanding about mRNA vaccines and that these vaccines cannot alter human DNA. The U.S. CDC refuted this by saying, "mRNA vaccines do not use live viruses and do not enter the nucleus of cells where genetic material is stored."

Meanwhile, rumors have also emerged that COVID vaccines can actually transmit the virus to others. In Miami, USA, there were even calls to isolate vaccinated teachers from students.

Unverified claims such as recommending pine needle tea as a preventive measure to stop spike protein transmission from vaccinated individuals have also spread widely.

Forbes stated, "Fake news is an obstacle to vaccination and one of the most common reasons given by those who refuse vaccination," adding, "Since the spread of the coronavirus last year, 16 million posts violating vaccine-related policies have been removed from Facebook and Instagram."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.