Many celebrities have shared their COVID-19 vaccine experiences in an attempt to help boost public confidence in the shots. Some, like pop star Mariah Carey, posted videos of the moment they got the jab. But vaccine skeptics have seized on some of the footage, suggesting that these celebrities aren't really getting the vaccine at all.
And that's what happened to Carey. Weeks after the singer shared a clip on Instagram that showed her receiving her first vaccine dose, claims started to spread online that she faked it because the needle didn't appear to come out of her arm.
"It's all a scam, don't celebrate celebrities," says one April 15 Instagram post that displays a zoomed-in version of Carey's video. Comments about the needle not being visible appeared on Carey's own post, too: "It is quite obvious that the huge needle is not there upon removal of this 'shot' from her arm," one person wrote in all caps.
But Carey did get the vaccine. The health care worker who administered the shot used a retractable needle. The post was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its news feed.
The same day Carey received her vaccine, her partner, Bryan Tanaka, shared a video Carey filmed of his vaccination experience at the Center for Internal and Integrative Medicine in Alpharetta, Ga.
PolitiFact could not confirm with the medical facility the type of needle used for Carey's vaccine, but a spokesperson told news organization Reuters that the video in question shows a retractable needle.
In the very beginning of Carey's clip, too, a woman can be heard telling another person that when pushed all the way, "the needle will retract back". Retractable needles are used to help protect patients and health care workers from injury.
"Needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries which expose workers to bloodborne pathogens continue to be a significant hazard for hospital employees," the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says on its website.
In a display of the many different types of needles, the agency explains how retractable syringes work: "After the needle is used, an extra push on the plunger retracts the needle into the syringe, removing the hazard of needle exposure."
(PolitiFact)
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