A report published by a Spanish professor claims that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine contains a substance called graphene oxide. Pfizer has stated that their vaccines do not contain any of this substance nor are any other vaccines known to contain this substance.
The author of the report, a Spanish professor, described that the findings were non-conclusive, as they were based on a single vial that the professor says was sent to him by a messenger service. According to the professor, the source and origin of the vial remain unknown.
The University of Almería, where the professor works, warned that the publication is an “unofficial report by a university professor about an analysis of a sample of unknown origin with a total lack of traceability” and that the “university neither subscribes to nor shares, as the report itself warns.”
The report has been shared widely by conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination activists worldwide.
Graphene oxide is produced through the oxidation of graphite. Graphene is “considered to be the strongest material in the world, as well as one of the most conductive to electricity and heat.”
Some conspiracy theorists claim that graphene oxide is injected into humans to conduct 5G surveillance. Others, including a Canadian far-right media platform, claim that the professor’s study proves that the vaccine “is a poisonous death sentence.”
Such narratives do promote vaccine hesitancy and as such, could unnecessarily lead to higher numbers of COVID cases and even deaths.
At least 70 percent of Canadians use Facebook on a regular basis and millions could be exposed to such narratives. It is important that Canadians check the sources and claims being made in posts that appear in their newsfeeds.
On July 16, 2021, US President Joe Biden warned Americans that misinformation appearing on social media platforms, like Facebook, was “killing people” through the promotion of vaccine hesitancy.
