Singapore — People’s Power Party leader Goh Meng Seng and the Singapore Uncensored website were asked to post correction notices online for false claims that Covid-19 vaccines are linked to incidents of stroke and heart attack, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday (April 15).
The ministry said it had instructed the POFMA Office to issue Correction Directions. The office administers Singapore’s fake news law, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).
Singapore Uncensored has issued a correction notice.
A similar notice was also published on the Goh Meng Seng People’s Power Party page.
MOH wrote that it is aware that falsehoods have been going around. It added that there are third parties who exploited the personal experiences of certain people “by reposting these personal accounts and making unsubstantiated claims about vaccine-related adverse reactions,” even though the original posts were taken down or made private.
MOH said it has asked for Correction Directions on the Facebook posts of Goh Meng Seng and Goh Meng Seng People’s Power Party on Apr 2 and 7, as well as for an article by Singapore Uncensored that was published on their website and their Facebook page on Apr 7.
The MOH pointed out:
The posts published on the Goh Meng Seng (Satu Singapura) and Goh Meng Seng People’s Power Party pages implied that a Covid-19 vaccine had caused or “substantially contributed” to a stroke that one doctor suffered. Other posts on these pages implied that the vaccine “caused or substantially contributed” to the death of a managed 81.
On the Singapore Uncensored website and Facebook pages, an article was published saying that the 81-year-old died from complications due to the vaccine.
Denying these claims, MOH said: “As of 14 April 2021, there is no credible evidence for an increased risk of heart attack or stroke with the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines which are currently approved and offered in Singapore.”
Regarding the case of the doctor, his medical team has said it is highly unlikely that his present condition is related to the vaccine he received. A clarification was also issued by Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
As for the 81-year-old man, he died of ischaemic heart disease (lack of blood circulation to the heart muscles). An examination carried out after his death by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) Forensic Medicine Division showed that “there was no evidence of acute anaphylaxis or an allergic reaction at the injection site of the COVID-19 vaccine” but that “there was extensive narrowing of the three main blood vessels supplying blood to the muscles of the heart due to atherosclerosis.”
Facts concerning the cases have been published on the Government’s Factually website.
After publishing a correction notice, Mr Goh said he will be making a statement during his Live policy chat.
/TISG
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