- Health
COVID-19 vaccines not responsible for Thai princess’ collapse; the country isn’t revisiting its contract with Pfizer
Key takeaway
COVID-19 vaccines are instrumental in reducing the risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand collapsed because of a bacterial infection with Mycoplasma that can lead to complications such as cardiac arrhythmia. Thailand continues to offer and recommend COVID-19 vaccination.
Reviewed content
Verdict:
Claim:
Thai princess “most likely a victim of the jab”, Thailand “could become the first country in the world to nullify the contract between the government and Pfizer”
Verdict detail
Factually inaccurate: Both claims were directly contradicted by Thai health authorities: the princess’ collapse was due to a bacterial infection and Thailand isn’t planning to nullify its contract with vaccine manufacturer Pfizer.
Full Claim
Thai princess “most likely a victim of the jab”, collapsed “days after receiving her booster shot”; Thailand “could become the first country in the world to nullify the contract between the government and Pfizer”
Review
On 15 December 2022, Princess Bajrakitiyabha of the Thai royal family collapsed into a coma and no news of her health has been shared since then. In January 2023, retired microbiologist Sucharit Bhakdi claimed in an interview posted on Rumble that the princess’ collapse was due to COVID-19 vaccines and that Thai officials were considering canceling the vaccine supply contract with Pfizer.
Real estate investor and former television host Clayton Morris, who owns the YouTube channel Redacted, reproduced Bhakdi’s claims in a video that was later reposted on other social media.
However, both claims were contradicted by Thai authorities. According to the Associated Press, an official from Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute denied any plans to “revisit the country’s contract with Pfizer”.
This was also confirmed to AFP by the deputy director-general of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control. The department also published a statement on 3 February 2023 saying that Bhakdi’s claims were “fake news”.
As reported by Lead Stories, the Bureau of the Royal Household of Thailand also published statements attributing the princess’ medical condition to cardiac arrhythmia following a bacterial infection called mycoplasma. Morris questioned that diagnosis arguing that bacterial infections are resolved within days by antibiotics. However, this argument doesn’t hold, because cases of antibiotic resistance are a growing concern, especially in Asia. Thus, antibiotic treatment may not be sufficient to treat a mycoplasma infection.
Lead Stories also highlighted that the vaccination status of the princess hadn’t been released. Neither Bhakdi nor Morris provided evidence to support their claims that the princess had became ill “days” after her booster shots.
In summary, official statements attributed the princess’ collapse to a bacterial infection, not the COVID-19 vaccines. No proof to the contrary has been brought forth by Morris or Bhakdi. Official statements also confirmed that Thailand wasn’t planning to void its contract with Pfizer.
