FACT CHECK: Here's the Truth About Pfizer Vaccine Side Effects and Deaths
A post on Facebook claimed that the Pfizer vaccine has some serious negative side effects, and have led to six deaths during late-stage trials. These claims are partly false.
Studies of the Pfizer vaccine showed there were no major safety concerns or side effects to look out for, so the US Food and Drug Administration cleared the shot on Friday for emergency use.
Pfizer's vaccine is seen as highly effective and safe based on clinical trials of more than 40,000 participants, reported Business Insider.
Reports also said the side effects were temporary, as generally expected with vaccinations.
Commonly, recipients will experience pain at the injection site, fatigue, and headaches.
Clarifying Deaths from Pfizer Vaccine Trials
It is true that six participants to the trial did die while the study was ongoing, and two of them were indeed given the vaccine while the others were given a placebo, reported Reuters. The deaths were explained in an FDA release.
FDA also said in a briefing document that both of the vaccine recipients were above 55 years of age.
One of them experienced a cardiac arrest after getting the second does while the other died from arteriosclerosis three days after a first dose.
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The deaths in the placebo group were caused by myocardial infarction, another from haemorrhagic stroke and two others from unknown causes.
"None of these deaths were assessed by the investigator as related to study intervention," FDA clarified.
The agency further explained that the deaths "represent events that occur in the general population of the age groups where they occurred, at a similar rate."
Even though the social media post claimed that the Pfizer vaccine trial used a "deadly placebo" to manipulate data.
Read also: FDA Clears Way for Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine, Millions of Doses To Be Shipped Right Away
However, documents from the drug make shows that the placebo is a normal saline.
Specifically, it is made up of 0.9% sodium chloride solution for injection. Simply put, it is a mixture of salt and water.
The post also claimed that the first woman to get the shot is in critical condition.
However, Margaret Keenan, the first person to get inoculated had been discharged from the hospital on December 9 and is far from critical condition, reported BBC.
Claims of Bell's Palsy for Pfizer Vaccine Recipients True
There have been four cases of Bell 's palsy-a partial paralysis of the face-in the vaccine trial.
The company also said that at the time, there is still "no clear basis" of the causal relationship between the condition and the vaccine.
But according to CNBC, the government will continue to monitor occurrences of Bell's palsy among trial participants, though the vaccine does not appear to be the cause.
Allergic Reactions Among Pfizer Vaccine Recipients
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Britain's regulator, said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis or significant allergies should be inoculated.
Read also: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Up for FDA Scrutiny Following 2 Allergic Reactions in UK
This comes after two health care workers, both with such as history, had serious allergic reactions after receiving the vaccine on the first day of distribution, reported New York Times.
It is still unknown what could have caused the allergic reactions since the vaccine did not have known allergic triggers such as preservatives or egg products.
The FDA advised those who may experience severe allergic reactions to call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.
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