Did renown fertility specialist Dr. Ann Tan get a stroke from the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine?
Find out what’s the latest viral story on the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, and what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2021-04-06 : Added clarification of Bun Ngok Fong’s relationship to the family
Originally posted @ 2021-04-03
Claim : Dr. Ann Tan Suffered A Stroke From Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine!
On or just after 25 March 2021, Bun Ngok Fong posted a message on Facebook about his cousin – the renown fertility specialist Dr. Ann Tan of Singapore.
He has since deleted it, but People’s Power Party founder Goh Meng Seng copied and reposted it, while others shared the post in WhatsApp where it went viral :
Dr Ann Tan now warded in ICU of Mount E for brain haemorrhage after taking the vaccine. Confirmed by her cousin’s FB post:
From the FB page of Bun Ngok Fong:
Warning against the Pfizer vaccine.
Truth : Dr. Ann Tan Did Not Get Stroke From Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine!
We looked into the matter, and the many claims Bun Ngok Fong made in this Facebook post, and here is what we know so far…
Claim #1 : Dr. Ann Tan Suffered A Brain Haemorrhage
Verdict : Likely True
On 25 March 2021, the Women Fertility & Fetal Centre of the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore posted this notice, with many messages of concern by her patients :
We therefore believe that something serious had indeed happened to Dr. Ann Tan.
Naturally, the hospital will not reveal any details of her condition. We will only know for sure if and when her family publicly announces what had actually happened.
Claim #2 : Dr. Ann Tan Is Bun Ngok Fong’s Cousin
Verdict : False
In his now-deleted Facebook post, Bun Ngok Fong claimed that Dr. Ann Tan is his cousin.
However, a friend of the family and Mount Elizabeth Hospital itself clarified that he is not related to their family :
The doctor’s family has also confirmed that the writer is not related to them and has written to Facebook to have the post removed.
Goh Meng Seng shared Mount Elizabeth Hospital’s clarification, but kept a screenshot of Bun Ngok Fong’s post up.
Bun Ngok Fong (left) and Goh Meng Seng (right)
Claim #3 : Her Brain Haemorrhage Was Due To The Pfizer Vaccine
Verdict : Likely False
Bun Ngok Fong claimed that she suffered a “brain haemorrhage” about “a week or so” after taking the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine is not known to cause an intracerebral haemorrhage. It is known to cause a rare anaphylactic reaction, probably from the PEG (Polyethylene glycol) used to create the lipid nanoparticles that protects the mRNA vaccine.
Only one 60 year-old Japanese woman was known to have died from a brain haemorrhage three days after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Even that case has not been confirmed to be related to the vaccine.
Tomohiro Morio, a doctor advising the government, said, “The brain haemorrhage that is suspected as a cause is relatively common among people from their 40s to their 60s, and at this time, based on examples overseas, there does not seem to be a link between brain haemorrhages and the coronavirus vaccine.”
The doctors treating Dr. Ann Tan will know if her intracerebral haemorrhage was due to other causes like a ruptured aneurysm or AVM (arteriovenous malformation).
This incident also happened at least “a week or so” after her vaccination, and is unlikely to be related to the vaccine. Even so, we should not jump to conclusions until we know more.
The opinion of this man (who is apparently living in Vancouver or Hong Kong) is not substantiated by any evidence whatsoever.
In addition, the Mount Elizabeth Hospital labelled his claims as untrue :
We are aware of a post circulating on Facebook, alleging that one of our doctors had a severe reaction a week after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. We wish to clarify that the allegations in the post are untrue.
Claim #4 : The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Is Problematic
Verdict : False
Every vaccine comes with a certain amount of risk. As mentioned earlier, a small number of people will get a severe allergic reaction after vaccination.
However, the claim that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is “problematic” is false.
The Pfizer clinical trial data, based on over 40,000 people, showed that it was both safe and effective. The biggest issue identified was a rare anaphylactic reaction to the vaccine – just 11.1 cases per million doses.
Not only is this extremely rare, it can be easily treated with an intramuscular injection of epinephrine. That’s why people are asked to stay 30-60 minutes after getting their Pfizer vaccines.
As of 1 April 2021, over 628 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, and a substantial number are of the Pfizer COMIRNATY vaccine, with very few cases of anaphylaxis.
Claim #5 : The Media Is Concealing The Risks
Verdict : False
Did you know you can actually download the FDA Briefing Document of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine?
It gives you uncensored details of their clinical trial data, so what is there for the media to conceal?
The media makes a good scapegoat for conspiracy theorists who dislike how the media consistently debunk their fake news and false narratives.
The media, for their part, are not perfect. They report on every post-vaccination death or hospitalisation, even if it has not been established that the vaccine is the cause.
Instead of shunning the media or putting them on a pedestal, apply critical thinking and wait for the actual research results.
Claim #6 : Pfizer CEO Declined To Take The Vaccine
Verdict : False
In 14 December 2020, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC that “he and other executives will not cut the line“, as there were limited doses available and the CDC had recommended prioritising healthcare workers and long-term care residents.
Antivaxxers and Sinophiles leaped on his statement, calling it evidence he did not trust his own vaccine.
The truth is he said in the CNBC interview that, “As soon as I can, I will. The only sensitivity here, Meg, is that I don’t want to have an example that I’m cutting the line.”
Albert Bourla received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in mid February 2021, and his second shot on 10 March 2021.
Excited to receive my 2nd dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech #COVID19 vaccine. There’s nothing I want more than for my loved ones and people around the world to have the same opportunity. Although the journey is far from over, we are working tirelessly to beat the virus. pic.twitter.com/ES05WPBLJA
— AlbertBourla (@AlbertBourla) March 10, 2021
Claim #7 : Pfizer Vaccine Is Genetic Manipulation
Verdict : False
Pfizer and Modern vaccines are based on mRNA technology, which means they do NOT penetrate the cell nucleus and therefore, cannot possibly change the DNA within.
mRNA itself is also transient, and is automatically disposed by the cell after being used several times. Therefore, the spike proteins it codes for are only created during that short time, not for a lifetime.
You can read more in our article on the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA technology.
Claim #8 : EU Vaccine Passport To Exclude Russian / Chinese Vaccines
Verdict : False
You can download and read the EU proposal for a COVID-19 Digital Green Certificate. It clearly states that:
- EU countries must accept other countries’ vaccination certificates “under the same conditions“
- This obligation only extends to EU-approved vaccines
- However, EU countries “can decide to accept other vaccines in addition” to EU-approved vaccines.
Therefore, this COVID-19 Digital Green Certificate will allow EU countries to recognise Russian and Chinese vaccines that have not been approved by the EU.
COVID-19 vaccines from Russia, China and other countries can also seek approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and be automatically qualified for this “vaccine passport”.
Therefore, the claim is categorically FALSE.
Claim #9 : EU Is Promoting Vaccine Apartheid, Forcing Travellers To Use Western Vaccines
Bun Ngok Fong claimed that the EU is promoting vaccine apartheid, and forcing travellers to use Western vaccines.
As we demonstrated above, the EU COVID-19 Digital Green Certificate does no such thing. EU countries can choose to accept Chinese and Russian vaccines.
It is also only fair that the vaccine passport acceptance be reciprocal, and not open only one way.
On the other hand, China resumed processing visas in March 2021, but only if travellers are first vaccinated with Chinese COVID-19 vaccines.
We look forward to Bun Ngok Fong criticising China for promoting vaccine apartheid, and compelling people to get vaccinated with Chinese vaccines, even if they prefer Western vaccines.
We should point out that as of 2 April 2021, the trial data for all four Chinese COVID-19 vaccines have yet to be released publicly.
As we pointed out in our article on choosing COVID-19 vaccines, all approved vaccines will protect you against death and serious COVID-19 disease. But it is really dishonest for Sinophiles to falsely criticise the West for actions perpetuated by China itself.
They should be ashamed of themselves for pushing a false narrative during a global pandemic that has killed over 2.8 million people globally.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
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