Lula was vaccinated against Covid, contrary to what the video caption says – 06/03/2023 – Health

It is not true that President Lula (PT) was not vaccinated against Covid-19 during the launch of the National Movement for Vaccination, on February 27.

An excerpt from a video of the ceremony, widely shared on social media and verified by the Comprova Project, was subtitled in a way to imply that a nursing technician tells the president that his vaccination card has been filled out, but that he has not received the immunizer.

In the transmission made by the TV Brasil channel on YouTube, however, it is possible to verify that the caption does not match what the woman says. In fact, she refers to the fact that, if Lula does not have the document with the registration, she will not be able to prove the immunization.

You can also follow, in enlarged images, the vice president and physician Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB) applying the substance to the president.

The Presidency’s Communication Secretariat denied that the vaccination was staged, as did the Federal District Health Secretariat, responsible for the UBS where the ceremony took place.

False, for Comprova, is content that was invented or that has been edited to change its original meaning and deliberately disseminated to spread a falsehood.

Reach

Comprova investigates suspicious content with greater reach on social networks. According to the CrowdTangle tool, the publication verified here received 28.7 thousand interactions on Twitter until March 3rd. The video was also shared by several accounts on different social networks, which had thousands of interactions. One of the publications on TikTok has 57.7 thousand views, while another had another 13.5 thousand on Kwai.

What the person responsible for the publication says

The video contains the inscription of whoever published it on Kwai and Tik Tok. The report found the profiles mentioned in the publication and sent messages, but until the publication of this text, it had not received a response.

How do we check

First, we identified the event on vaccination in which President Lula participated together with the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade. Next, we looked for the YouTube broadcast of the ceremony. By watching it, we identified the passage used in the uninformative pieces. From the best quality audio available on the platform, it was possible to clearly understand what the woman says to the president.

Through a publication by Cofen (Conselho Nacional de Enfermagem), the professionals in the area who participated in the event were identified. By consulting their names on Google Images, we discover that the person speaking with Lula is the nursing technician Fátima Lúcia Rola, who in 2022 was a candidate for district deputy for the PT.

The Google search also reported that she is a member of the Association of Public Health Professionals of the Federal District, the Health Club, with which the report got in touch, and is a health advisor in the Federal District, therefore, the Secretary of Health was also sought after.

Finally, we interviewed pediatrician Juarez Cunha, director of SBIM (Brazilian Society of Immunizations) and member of the National Commission Specialized in Vaccines.

immunized

On February 27, Lula received the fifth dose of the vaccine against Covid-19. He was immunized with the bivalent product of the company Pfizer (Comirnaty), whose temporary and emergency use was approved by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) in November 2022. Bivalent vaccines offer protection against more than one strain of the virus.

The application took place during the launch of the National Movement for Vaccination, of the Ministry of Health, with the objective of expanding vaccination coverage in Brazil. The ceremony was held at a UBS in Guará, administrative region of the Federal District.

In addition to Lula, the vice president and minister of Industry and Commerce, Geraldo Alckmin, who is an anesthesiologist and was responsible for administering the dose to the president, participated in the event.

The content checked here tries to disqualify the vaccines and falsely claims that Lula did not actually receive the dose, but pretended to have been immunized. In the piece of misinformation, the following inscription appears on the images: “mounted farce!!! applied plascebo (sic)” —a placebo is designed to look exactly like a real drug, but is made up of inactive chemical substances, i.e. , it has no effect.

Due to other false and misleading posts circulating on social media claiming that Lula was not vaccinated, the Presidency’s Communication Secretariat had already taken a position on the matter. On February 28, the ministry highlighted that the president is a “defender of science and vaccination as a fundamental strategy for public health in Brazil”. When contacted by Comprova, it reinforced the statement and denied the content targeted by this verification.

Sought by Comprova, the press office of the Health Department of the Federal District, responsible for the UBS where the immunization took place, also declared the statement that President Lula had not been vaccinated to be false.

In the broadcast of the event made by TV Brasil, it is possible to follow, from the nine minutes and 37 seconds, Alckmin applying the substance on Lula. Zoomed images show the vice president preparing the dose and, at this moment, when he removes some of the air in the syringe, you can see some splashes coming out of the needle, proving that there was liquid inside.

Director of SBIM, doctor Juarez Cunha stresses that the vials that reach the public health network contain vaccine and that the placebo, mentioned in the piece of misinformation, is intended for clinical studies. “In our network, the vials we have of vaccine are vaccines, there is no placebo vial. So, when you aspire the product there, the product you aspire to is vaccine”, explains Cunha.

“The current president, at other times, has already participated in vaccination campaigns, and this was never a concern”, he adds.

Invention

The woman who appears in red next to President Lula in the viral images is nursing technician Fátima Lúcia Rola, a public servant in the Federal District. In the uninformative piece, a caption added to the content does not reproduce what is actually said in the video. The post falsely claims that the woman would have said: “I’ll tell you!! Get the vaccine card, but you weren’t vaccinated, no. UBS manager will still pass a photo delivering the card”.

In the transmission made by TV Brasil, the scene can be seen from 11 minutes and 48 seconds. The material is available on YouTube and has superior audio quality than the viral content, allowing a more accurate understanding of the content of speech.

When approaching Lula, who is next to the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, Fátima, in fact, says: “President, let me speak, receive the vaccine card, otherwise you have not been vaccinated, no”. She refers to proof, made by the document, that he received the immunizer.

Then, the technician points to the document that is in the hand of another person, presented by him as the manager of the Basic Health Unit where the event takes place. The manager shows the voucher to the president, who takes it, analyzes it and shows the vaccine records to the cameras. Afterwards, Lula puts the card in his jacket pocket. After an inaudible passage, Fátima adds: “we’re going to take a picture handing over the card”.

In the report, the press office of the Federal District Health Secretariat claims that it is false that any servant said that the president did not receive the immunizer. “The recommendation given to all people who receive any vaccine is to keep the vaccination card in an accessible and safe place so that they can prove the immunizations, in cases where it is necessary”, guides the agency, in a note.

Comprova contacted Fátima Lúcia through the Health Club, the Federal District Health Department and her personal Facebook account, but was unable to speak with the nursing technician.

What can we learn from this check

From the manipulation of the record of an event in which President Lula actually took the fifth dose of the vaccine against Covid-19, the content verified here takes advantage of the excess of noise to add a false caption to the video about what is being said, inducing to error those who visualize it without so much attention.

Given this, the verification raises some points that serve as learning. Are they:

1. Since information about the production of vaccines against Covid-19 began to be disseminated, social networks have become the scene of misinformation about the effectiveness of the vaccine. Comprova has already verified several suspicious contents on the subject. Considering this, be careful with viral content that questions vaccines, whether in relation to their effectiveness or the application of immunizers to authorities.
2. Always look for reliable sources to verify the claims presented in content disseminated on social networks.
3. Seek information through professional press vehicles, government agencies and institutions with credibility.

why do we investigate

Comprova monitors suspicious content posted on social networks and messaging apps about public policies and elections at the federal level. Investigations are opened for those publications that achieved greater reach and engagement. You can also suggest checks via WhatsApp (11) 97795-0022.

Other checks

Comprova has already verified several false contents citing President Lula’s name, such as, for example, that his government plan did not propose measures such as a new CPMF, PIX taxation and savings freeze. Dozens of content related to vaccines were also checked, such as a video that distorts a Pfizer executive’s statement about the effectiveness of the vaccine. The same content checked here was also checked by Aos Fatos.