Fact Check: No, This Photo Has No Connection With COVID-19 Vaccination; Viral Post Is Fake
The photo showing violence in hospital is old and unrelated to COVID vaccination. The viral post is fake.
- By Vishvas News
- Updated: January 22, 2021
New Delhi (Vishvas News): An image going viral on social media shows a television report regarding breaking out of violence in a hospital after the COVID-19 vaccination. Vishvas News investigated the post and found it to be fake. The photo showing violence in the hospital is old and unrelated to COVID-19 vaccination.
Claim
The photo shared on Facebook purports to show a screenshot of a breaking news report. The text in the photo reads: “HOSPITALS ON LOCKDOWN AS FIRST COVID VACCINE PATIENTS START EATING OTHER PATIENTS.” The caption with the post reads: “2021 looks more fierce”.
The archived version of the post can be checked here.
Investigation
Vishvas News performed Google Reverse Image Search of the viral photo and found the same photo published in New York Times in a report dated Feb 14, 2019.
The report reads in part: “Temple University Hospital treated 481 patients with gunshot wounds last year, and 97 died. In this one hospital in one neighborhood in one city. As a country, we lost nearly 40,000 lives to guns in 2017. These images are here to show you what happens.” The caption with the photo reads: “The trauma bay in the emergency department at Temple University Hospital after resuscitation efforts failed.”
Also, COVID-19 vaccine was not being given in February 2020 as claimed in the viral post.
We also found the photo on a prank website with the text overlay referencing covid vaccination.
We searched other news reports as well but none of the credible sources covered any such report related to Covid vaccination as claimed in the viral post.
We spoke to Dr. Nikhil, a pulmonologist from Apollo Hospital regarding the viral post. He said: “Covid vaccine hasn’t caused any such side effects so far as claimed in the post. The viral post doesn’t seem related to covid vaccination.”
The post is shared on Facebook by a user named Stiffler Mc-hunter Aggabao Balisi. We scanned the profile of the user and found that the user has 434 followers.
Conclusion: The photo showing violence in hospital is old and unrelated to COVID vaccination. The viral post is fake.