A 'scientific' claim asking men to inject Covid-19 vaccine in their penis for faster release of the dose in the body has gone viral on social media. However, the claim was found to be fake and was based on a photoshopped image, rather than any scientific study.
Pfizer and Moderna rolled out their vaccine last year in December and since then it has been subjected to a series of fake claims. Earlier it was rumored that the Pfizer vaccine caused sterilization in women and genetic mutation in fetus.
Will Injecting Vaccine in Male Genital Area Spread it Faster?
The screenshot that has gone viral on social media appears to be taken from a CNN report headlined: "Doctors Encourage Covid-19 Vaccine Injections in Penis."
The report also carried an illustration showing the procedure and right spot for injecting the Covid-19 vaccine in the penis. It also accompanied with a picture of a doctor, who was later identified as Mohit Kumar Ardeshana — a California-based doctor of internal medicine.
The sub-headline of the article reads: "Doctors are discovering that, for male patients, the penis offers the fastest release of the vaccine throughout the body."
Lending authenticity to the fake clipping, the screenshot also covered the first line of the article . It read: "Based on findings from a University of California study involving 1,500 men who received the vaccine,..."
Debunking the claim, Snopes reported that CNN did not produce the article and the illustration used in the screenshot was from an instruction manual for penile self-injection as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. The image was taken from the website of the Kansas City, Missouri-area St. Luke's Health System, according to the fact-checking website.
Speaking to Boom, another fact-checking website, Ardeshana denied making any such claim or being part of the study. "The article is completely fake. I have not said anything about such a study. It is a work of mischief by someone," he told the outlet.
Outrageous Hoax Sends Social Media in a Tizzy
As reported previously, the Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine is injected into the upper arm and given as two doses 21 days apart. Despite the claim being a hoax it was shared widely on the social media.
"I would encourage these doctors to try on themselves in their balls. I don't know if it improves the vaccination but surely they deserve such advanced treatment," responded a user.
"They laughing at us , same as the toilet paper frenzy. Just seeing how far their manipulation strategies will get them," tweeted another user.
"The heroin addicts use this technique to inject their poison whenever they run out of available space on their arms and legs," commented another user.
