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Fact Check
A news report states that “An Australian biotech company has developed a new treatment it hopes will prevent people dying from Covid vaccines.”
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Australian biotech company treatment against Covid-19 vaccines”, which did not lead us to any credible news reports, raising our doubts.
We noticed the logo of Australian media outlet, 7 News, in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Taking a cue from this, we ran a relevant keyword search, which led us to an archived version of a 7 News bulletin, dated April 16, 2021, on Youtube. The viral excerpt can be seen from the 20:38 mark of the 57:11 video, where the anchor says “Covid vaccine”. However, the following part, which was cut out in the viral video, sees her correcting herself by stating “Covid-19”.
“An Australian biotech company has developed a new treatment it hopes will prevent people dying from Covid vaccine – Covid-19. As Katrina Blowers reports, it is now being trialled in the United States,” says the presenter.
We learnt that on April 16, 2021, a new anti-inflammatory drug developed by University of Queensland scientists entered a Phase II clinical trial in Covid-19 patients in 10 to 15 hospitals across the USA. “The drug, IC14, is the lead therapeutic compound for Brisbane and Seattle-based biotech company, Implicit Bioscience…Professor Frazer, said as the world welcomes Covid-19 vaccine candidates and a widespread prevention strategy, it remains vital to develop viable treatments that can help people who experience a life-threatening response to the virus,” read the report. A similar report can be seen here, confirming that the news presenter was talking about a treatment against the virus and not the vaccine. The viral video had first surfaced in 2021 itself, which was disproved by AFP.
Also Read: 2014 Video Of Iraqi Soldier Getting Shot Falsely Linked To Israel-Hamas Conflict
Source
Youtube video, April 16, 2021
AFP report, May 27, 2021
Translational Research Institute report, April 16, 2021
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