Here's what Politico Fact Checker says about the the trypanosoma parasite rumor:
No, this isnāt a picture of a parasite in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
If Your Time is short
- The Pfizer vaccine does not contain parasites.
- The director of clinical parasitology at the Mayo Clinic told us that the supposed image of a parasite in the vaccine thatās being shared on social media does not actually show a parasite.
See the sources for this fact-check
A grainy black-and-white image
thatās being shared on social media is being described as a "Trypanosoma Parasite" that is composed of "carbon, oxygen, chromium, sulphur, aluminum, chloride and nitrogen."
"A 50 micron elongated body is a sharp mysterious presence in the Pfizer vaccine," the post says. "It appears and is identified anatomically as a Trypanosoma cruzi parasite of which several variants are lethal and is one of many causes of acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS."
This post was flagged as part of Facebookās efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our
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Pfizerās COVID-19 vaccine on Aug. 23 received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people 16 and older.
A
full list of ingredients in the vaccine is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, as well as a note that this vaccine and other COVID-19 vaccines contain no metals.
The parasite in the post also isnāt listed. Thatās because the post is baseless, experts told PolitiFact.