The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, has dismissed reports claiming that the COVID19 vaccines when administered on a person, causes magnetism.
There have been widespread theories online suggesting that the COVID19 vaccines cause a body to become magnetic.
At a press conference in Abuja, Dr. Shuaib dismissed the claim saying it is the work of rumor mongers and mischief-makers.
”The anti-vaccination elements have come up with magnetic conspiracy, in which they claim, and are deceiving people with videos, that COVID-19 vaccine creates magnetic field around vaccination site and can cause the body to light up an electric bulb.
As ridiculous as this and other conspiracy theories are, vulnerable people believe them and are therefore continuing to take the risk of avoiding COVID-19 vaccination. Although the people who are manufacturing conspiracy theories about COVID-19 are in the minority, the virulence of the social media increases their reach. For this reason, ladies, and gentlemen, it has become necessary for us to confront the false theorists if we really want Nigeria and the world to overcome COVID-19 and recover from its adversities.
At the onset, it was claimed that COVID-19 was introduced to justify developing vaccines that would be used to depopulate Africans. Those who came up with this theory said that anybody who takes the vaccine would die immediately. Today, as we all can see, nearly 4 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Nigeria and we have not recorded any case of death linked to the vaccination.
On seeing this reality, the rumour mongers changed their narratives into saying that the vaccines used in Europe and America are not the same as the ones used in Africa. Again, as evidence have come to show, it is now clear that the COVID-19 vaccines used in Europe, America and elsewhere in the World are the same used in Nigeria and other countries in Africa. The conspiracy theorist went silent about this claim and are now saying that anyone who takes the vaccine will die after two years. Nigerians are predominantly a country of Muslims and Christians. We know that these religions are clear that no-one knows the year of the day they will die. So why would we even pay attention to such spurious claims?
Distinguished members of the press let us not forget that this same falsehood of children dying after vaccination was spread about Polio vaccine, but after many years, children who took polio vaccine are still alive and have grown into adulthood and having their own children, as expected. There has not been any case of a child’s death that is linked to polio vaccination, and many more children have been born to discount another claim that polio vaccination would lead to infertility.
I would like to make very clear and demonstrate publicly that COVID-19 vaccine does not create any magnetic effect around the vaccination site or any part of the body for that matter, neither does it cause the body to light up an electric bulb. It is also a well-known fact that persons with wet, moist, or sticky skin can have objects stuck to their skin especially in smooth areas. Strong friction also allows for objects to stick to the skin. COVID -19 vaccines do not contain any metal – this is another fact! So how can it generate magnetic field or light an electric bulb?
I would urge everyone to please do more research on your own using credible information sources so that we do not promote ignorance in an age of civilization.”he said
