Fast Check : Don't Fall For This Morphed CNN Visual Claiming Covid Vaccine Turns People Into Zombies
A screenshot of a television news bulletin which shows a hospital ward with blood spilt all around is being widely shared on social media. The screenshot has a 'CNN' logo and a ticker which reads, "Breaking News: Hospitals on lockdown as first Covid vaccine patients start eating other patients." A scroll at the bottom reads, "Nancy Pelosi arrested for DUI". The top right corner of the screenshot has the text "Los Angeles".
A Facebook user shared the screenshot with the caption, "Yep...you read that right. Zombie apocalypse." Another user quoted CNN while sharing the viral screenshot.
The archived version of this post can be seen here.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the viral screenshot claiming that Covid-19 vaccines are turning people into zombies is morphed. The hospital picture used in the screenshot is old and related to the treatment of gunshot victims in North Philadelphia, US.
AFWA probe
With the help of reverse image search, we found it in a report dated February 14, 2019, by The New York Times. Here, the viral picture was used with the caption, "The trauma bay in the emergency department at Temple University Hospital after resuscitation efforts failed." The picture has been credited to Eric Curran, a medical student.
In the article, Eric has described the heart-wrenching experience of handling and treating the gunshot victims. We could not find any CNN report claiming people turned into man-eating zombies after getting Covid-19 vaccine shots.
How a meme changed into a Covid vaccine rumour
On further search, we found the viral screenshot in a meme website ifunny. A user who goes with the username 'flabbyankle' had shared the viral picture on this website recently.
Thus, it is quite likely that a meme created out of the 'Temple University Hospital' picture and posted on meme website was later shared on social media where many believed it to be true.
This claim has also been debunked by AFP.
Nancy Pelosi did not get arrested
Another proof of the viral screenshot being morphed is the ticker with the text, "Nancy Pelosi arrested for DIU". Nancy Pelosi is the speaker of the US House of Representatives. We did not find any credible media report related to Nancy's arrest. Pelosi's arrest for DIU, i.e., driving under the influence, would have made news in every prominent media outlet.
Baseless claims about Nancy's arrest and getting drunk were circulated earlier as well. Several websites like Politifact and Tampa Bay Times had debunked it earlier.
Covid-19 vaccine side effect story
At the current stage, scientists are not sure about the potential long term side effects of Covid-19 vaccines. However, it is true that there have been instances worldwide where participants of Covid-19 vaccine trial complained about certain side effects after getting the vaccine shot.
For example, an Indian trial participant for Oxford-AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine Covishield alleged that he suffered from severe neurological and psychological symptoms after the Covid jab. The Serum Institute of India, however, said that the symptoms had no relation to the vaccine trial.
Complications due to Covid-19
Researchers have found that Covid-19 can lead to several neurological complications, including strokes, seizures and movement disorders. An assistant professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine Dr Pria Anand told CNN, "These particular complications of Covid and neurological disorders more generally, are about your ability to interact meaningfully with the world."
Though there have been some instances of people alleging side effects of Covid-19 vaccines, the claim about the vaccines turning people into zombies is baseless. A morphed screenshot with 'CNN' logo is being used to spread rumours about people in the US turning into man-eaters after getting the Covid vaccine shot.
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