It’s False! Nobel Prize Winner did not say “all vaccinated people will die within 2 years”

A viral message making rounds on WhatsApp and other social media platforms says “all vaccinated people will die in 2 years”. The message has been attributed to French Virologist and Nobel Prize winner, Prof Luc Montagnier.

The message which has been published on lifesitenews.com, chemicalviolence .com and other online platforms reads in detail:

“All Vaccinated people will die within 2 years: Nobel Prize Winner Luc Montagnier has confirmed that there is no chance of survival for people who have received any form of the vaccine. In the shocking interview, the world’s top virologist stated blankly: there is no hope and no possible treatment for those who have been vaccinated already. We must be prepared to incinerate the bodies. The scientific genius backed claims of other pre-eminent virologists after studying the constituents of the vaccine. They will all die from antibody-dependent enhancement. Nothing more can be said.”

Fact-Check Ghana has verified the information and presents the following responses below.

This claim which originated from India has been fact-checked by India’s PIB Fact-Check and Indiatvnews.com. Both declared the information false.

Further checks by Fact-Check Ghana indicate that nowhere in the interview did Prof. Montagnier say that all those who have been vaccinated will die in two years as being speculated.

The Interview which has been transcribed by Rair Foundation USA, a grassroots activist organization, did mention the view of Prof. Montagnier regarding antibodies and vaccination during the pandemic. However, nowhere was there a mention of people dying two after receiving the jabs.

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement

Prof. Montagnier said that epidemiologists know but are “silent” about the phenomenon known as “Antibody-Dependent Enhancement” (ADE).

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement happens when the antibodies generated during an immune response recognize and bind to a pathogen and hence cannot prevent infection. Instead, these antibodies act as a “Trojan horse,” allowing the pathogen to get into cells and exacerbate the immune response according to Paul A. Offit, PharmD, Philadelphia Children’s Hospital

In simple terms, they cause worse the disease than before. He says this is apparent by observing where “the curve of vaccination is followed by the curve of deaths”.

In the articles that mention ADE (here, here, and here), the concerns expressed by Prof. Montagnier are decimated.

“Scientists say that ADE is pretty much a non-issue with COVID-19 vaccines,” an article at Medpage Today reported in March.

But Prof. Montagnier also offered some theories that according to other scientists lack scientific validation.

He said there was an emerging trend in “each country” where “the curve of vaccination is followed by the curve of deaths.”

Meaning, the more people are vaccinated, the more people die.

This claim is misleading.

Among the top 10 most vaccinated countries in the world as of May 26, 2021, according to Bloomberg and ourworldindata.org, mortality rate has been dipping and there is no evidence to suggest that those dying had received the vaccines.

Admittedly, some countries had to temporarily stop the vaccination programme because of reported cases of blood clots in recipients.

Northern Ireland for instance had five suspected cases of blood clot cases linked to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the BBC reported. This is out of a total of 550,000 people given the vaccine up to 28 April.

The figure is in proportion to other suspected cases from across the UK including England (198); Scotland (18); Wales (9) and unknown (12).

In a statement, the UK’s Department of Health said the AstraZeneca vaccine had already saved thousands of lives in the UK and around the world.

“The adverse reactions following the Oxford-AstraZeneca first dose are extremely rare,” the department continued.

“MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) emphasized that for the vast majority of people, the benefits of preventing serious illness and death far outweigh any risks.”

How safe are vaccines for use?

The claims made by the Nobel Laurette have not been backed by any popular scientific theory and runs contrary to the collective view of the scientific community which approved the vaccines for use.

Safety trials for vaccines begin in the lab, with tests and research on cells and animals, before moving on to human studies. This gives room for trials to move to the next stage if no outstanding safety concerns are identified.

A controlled group of people who undergo the trial is monitored in order to identify side effects (if any). And usually, the trials are conducted on a large number of people. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for example had about 40,000 volunteers before its approval in the UK. The phase two clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine also had 20,000 volunteers. So are the many other vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drugs Authority in the US, UK, and many parts of Africa including Ghana also rely on data from vaccine manufacturers to run their tests before rolling out.

Vaccines are developed using ribonucleic acid (RNA) technology, according to scientists. RNA is a sequence of genetic codes that tells cells what proteins to build so that they can function. Scientists say because of the closeness of RNA to the DNA, it is present in all living cells.

When the vaccines are injected into the human body, the cells read it as an instruction to start building the proteins, including, in this case, COVID-19’s distinctive ‘spike’ protein.

Experts say after taking the vaccines, the human body mounts an immune response by producing antibodies to fight the virus proteins made by our cells (should we encounter it later).

All three vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Ghana have been thoroughly tested and found to be safe and effective in preventing severe COVID-19.

What does WHO say?

There are strict protections in place to help ensure the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines. Before receiving validation from WHO and national regulatory agencies, COVID-19 vaccines must undergo rigorous testing in clinical trials to prove that they meet internationally agreed benchmarks for safety and effectiveness.

Unprecedented scientific collaborations have allowed COVID-19 vaccine research, development, and authorizations to be completed in record time – to meet the urgent need for COVID-19 vaccines while maintaining high safety standards. As with all vaccines, WHO and regulatory authorities continuously monitor the use of COVID-19 vaccines to confirm that they remain safe for all who receive them.

This report is produced under the project: COVID-19 Response in Africa: Together for Reliable Information being implemented with funding support from the European Union.