Lately, Georgian online media spread information about the side effects of Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccines. On the 14th of December, a number of media outlets wrote about developed Bell’s Palsy cases in people participating in Pfizer’s vaccine testing. Some of the sources were “რეზონანსი,” Digest.pia, and News-front articles, which said that 4 participants, enrolled in the vaccine testing, developed Bell’s palsy. Articles also contained symptomatic descriptions of this condition and at the end was written that Great Britain’s regulatory committee advised people with allergies, not to get vaccinated with coronavirus vaccine, to avoid developing Bell’s palsy. Articles also contained photos of patients with Bell’s palsy.
Update: Manipulative information about side effects of coronavirus vaccine with manipulative photos also appeared on some other news sources: 1sport.ge wrote- “What happened to the people who took the coronavirus vaccine?’’. The article used photos of 3 people, which in fact didn’t depict the actual participants of the study who developed Bell’s palsy and were identified in the FDA report. The photo was in the article about Bell’s palsy symptoms dating from June.
An identical photo is used in an article made by newpost.ge, which also has the sensational headline “Paralyzed lips, palsy and etc. – what happened to people who took the vaccine.” The article also wrote that all of the cases developed during the administration of the vaccine, which is not true, each of the 4 cases developed 3, 8, 37, and 48 days after the vaccination. Newport’s article was also copied and published by another clickbait website Footballs.ge, but without the photo.
Information in manipulative:
- Articles didn’t mention the fact, from FDA’s report, that the actual etiology of Bell’s palsy is not established and might it not be associated with vaccination.
- In Great Britain the recommendation for allergic people was about two cases of allergic reaction and has no connection with Bell’s palsy cases in the US.
- Articles came with manipulative photos, which actually are from 2010 and 2020 June.
- FDA’s report
The report mentioned by media outlets was made by FDA (US Food and drug association) on Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting on 10 of December and depicted results of Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines research.
43 448 participants were enrolled in the research after the start (29 April) until the end (14 November). Part of the report talking about the side effects is written that Bell’s palsy developed in 4 participants on 3rd, 9th, 37th, and 48th days of research. The report mentions that the observed frequency of reported Bell’s palsy in the vaccine group is consistent with the excepted background rate in the population and it is by no means alarming. Also, the report says that there is no clear proven coronation between vaccination and Bell’s palsy, but the FDA still recommends monitoring and study this process in the future.
About Great Britain, 2 anaphylactic reactions (allergic reactions) were reported. Because of this on the 9th of December Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) administrative director June Raine made the statement that Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines should not be used in people who have a drug or food allergies, and the second dose of vaccine should not be administered in people who had an allergic reaction on the first dose. The statement doesn’t mention Bell’s palsy and it is made one day prior to FDA’s report, so it can’t be connected to Bell’s palsy cases and the articles about warning against it, spread by media sources, is manipulative.
- Vaccines and side effects
There is no effective medical product, including vaccines, that don’t have some kind of side effect. In an interview with BBC, doctor, pharmacology professor, Penny Ward said that there is clear evidence, of vaccination benefits heavily outwaiting its risks. She also mentioned that, even though vaccines are given licenses before testing in millions of people and not depicting all the possible side effects, the chance of serious ones occurring is much lower than having a car accident, yet we don’t think about the later every day.
It is also important not to confuse allergic reactions and Bell’s palsy. The allergic reaction can be caused by any product, e.g.: Strawberry, walnut. This risk was obviously taken into account during the vaccine testing process and FDA says, that from 1000 persons 1 might develop some kind of allergic reaction to the vaccine. In contrast because of coronavirus, just in Great Britain as of 15th of December, 64,402 people died. So we can see, that benefits of vaccination outweigh its risks. In her statement (MHRA) administrative director June Raine also mentioned, that allergic reactions to vaccines aren’t new and it can, rarely, but still appear on seasonal flu vaccines.
Bell’s palsy, on the other hand, isn’t an allergic reaction ant its actual etiology is still unknown. It is possible that it is associated with some infectious diseases like Genital Herpes, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus and etc. Because of not knowing the actual cause, at this point in time, it is impossible to say that cases developing after vaccination are caused by it.
- Manipulative photo
Articles spread by Georgian media outlets included photos of people with Bell’s palsy, without mentioning the time of taking the photo, or the identity of the person on them, which made the impression as If they were the same people who took the coronavirus vaccine.
But in fact, the photo of these three can be found on the internet from June 2020 in the article about Bell’s palsy symptoms. And another photo of women first appeared in 2010.
Rezonansi archive link
Digest.pia archive link
Nees-front arcive link
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