“India banned the Pfizer vaccine.” That statement is what the fact-checkers at newsweek.com call “mostly untrue.” They admit the truth in the same “fact check”.

There is heated debate about the different corona vaccines. The short development time (a few months instead of the usual eight to ten years) and rapid approval aroused the suspicion of many people: How safe is the vaccine? What side effects are possible?

A vaccine that raises questions

The previously unapproved mRNA technology also raises questions. When people read that some countries are changing vaccination strategies or banning their use because of severe side effects, this raises concerns. The concerns branded as “conspiracy theories” are taken into the crosshairs of fact checkers.

“Mostly untrue”

The fact is: India has not approved the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine. The company applied for emergency approval to the Indian Committee of Experts. This stated that “incidents of paralysis, allergic reactions and other serious adverse events” were reported.

“Furthermore, the company has not presented any plan to collect data on safety and immunogenicity in the Indian population,” the committee announced. “Immunogenicity” refers to the ability of a vaccine to trigger an immune response. I.e. the real purpose of the vaccine.Although all of this is described in Newsweek’s fact check, the fact checkers come to the conclusion that the allegation of a ban is “largely untrue”.  Newsweek, and other mainstream media have only the interests of big pharma in mind: “make moar money.”