New Delhi, December 27: A screenshot featuring the logo of news channel CNN, which reports that the COVID-19 vaccine turns people into “man-eating” zombies, is going viral on social media platforms. It shows an image of a hospital room with the floor covered in blood and the caption, “Breaking news: Hospital locked down as first Covid vaccine patient starts eating other patient.” However, both the image shown and the claim made in the screenshot are fake. It appears to be an attempt to create panic amid the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
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The screenshot that Kazo Television posted on Facebook on December 18, 2020 is also making the rounds on Twitter. However, it was exposed as fake news by India todayAccording to the report, the image used in the screenshot is old and refers to the treatment of gunshot victims in North Philadelphia, USA. It was taken together with a report on 14 February 2019 by The New York Timesafter the shooting in North Philadelphia. Barack Obama, former US President, did not insult Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter over the farmers’ protests; fact check refutes fake news spread by manipulated image.
You can find the viral post here:
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The photo was captioned “The trauma unit in the emergency room at Temple University Hospital after resuscitation attempts failed” and was attributed to medical student Eric Curran. In the article, Curran described the heartbreaking experience of dealing with and treating the gunshot victims. RBI has instructed banks to print “Gita Saar” on the last page of the passbook of all account holders? PIB fact check reveals truth behind fake post.
There were no reports from CNN claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine turns people into zombies. However, the viral screenshot was found on a meme website called “ifunny.” A user with the username “flabbyankle” had reportedly shared the viral image on the website recently.
Most likely, a meme created from the image of “Temple University Hospital” and posted on a meme website was later shared on social media, where many believed it to be true and it gained widespread circulation due to fear and distrust regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.
The viral screenshot also had a caption that read, “Nancy Pelsoi arrested for driving under the influence.” However, this claim is also false. Unsubstantiated claims about Nancy’s arrest and her drinking have been spread before. Several websites, such as Politifact and Tampa Bay Times, had previously debunked this.
In conclusion, there are no reports that the COVID-19 vaccine turns people into flesh-eating zombies. The picture is altered and the claim is false and baseless.