Social media has become a den for fake news circulation. Nowadays, viral messages related to the Covid-19 vaccine are doing rounds on various social media platforms.
Most of them are said to be false and could potentially cause undue panic amongst beneficiaries.
Recently, a message claiming that the Covid-19 vaccine should be avoided during the menstruation period for women has gone viral on social media. The message further said that the vaccination should be avoided by women five days before and after the period as their immunity is low during the period.
Again, an endorsement entitled “Provide your baby with safe antibodies!” has gone viral. It has been reported in media that a lot of women have begun to buy and sell breast milk online under the pretext that donors who have received Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine could protect the baby with its antibodies.
Shedding light on both the issue, Dr Ashok, district Covid nodal officer of Mangaluru said, “So far, we haven’t seen any official word on this. However, periods have no effect on the vaccine efficacy. What I’d like to emphasise is that during this testing period, people should refrain from sharing such details on social media platforms without getting official confirmation. ”
However, the government on Saturday with an appeal to people tweeted not to fall for rumours and get vaccinated. Quashing the rumours, the PIB, in a tweet, said, “#Fake post circulating on social media claims that women should not take #COVID19Vaccine 5 days before and after their menstrual cycle. Don’t fall for rumours! All people above 18 should get vaccinated after May 1.”
People are advised not to forward or share any Coronavirus vaccine messages without fact-checking with the appropriate authorities. The Indian government has also asked people across the country to seek information on the Coronavirus vaccine via official government channels.
#Fake post circulating on social media claims that women should not take #COVID19Vaccine 5 days before and after their menstrual cycle.
Don’t fall for rumours!
All people above 18 should get vaccinated after May 1. Registration starts on April 28 on https://t.co/61Oox5pH7x pic.twitter.com/JMxoxnEFsy
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 24, 2021