Presidential candidate Jose “Joey” Montemayor’s claim that the COVID-19 vaccine has a “reverse” effect and exposes people to infection has no basis.
Montemayor, running under the Democratic Party of the Philippines, previously made inaccurate claims about the country’s vaccination data and questioned the need for boosters.
STATEMENT
During the first presidential debate hosted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on March 19, one of the questions asked of candidates was how they would create enough jobs in the country, especially for new college graduates.
Montemayor said even if the situation for workers improves, their motivation and morale are low:
“…Palaging hina-harass n’yo ang 70 million na Filipino; palagi n’yong hinahanapan niyan [ng vaccination card] when, in fact, ang mismong vaccination will expose you to infection. This is the reverse now, according to the Baltimore study.”
(The [government] keeps harassing the 70 million Filipinos, always looking for a [vaccination card] when, in fact, vaccination itself will expose you to infection. This is the reverse now, according to the Baltimore study.)
Source: Commission on Elections, Pilipinas Debates 2022: The Turning Point, March 19, 2022, watch from 1:27:53 – 1:28:10
On his website, Montemayor describes himself as a cardiologist, a medical technologist, an economist, and a lawyer.
FACT
Vaccination against COVID-19 does not expose people to infection. This oft-repeated false claim amid the pandemic has been debunked by health experts worldwide.
Montemayor cited a particular “Baltimore study” that supposedly indicates a “reverse” effect of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In an email to VERA Files Fact Check, a team of scientists and public health experts, convened by global technology nonprofit Meedan, noted that studies out of Baltimore “usually refer to Johns Hopkins University.” The prestigious academic institution is based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States.
Johns Hopkins “has produced no studies that claim COVID-19 vaccines cause infections,” the Meedan team said. It added that there are “no reputable studies that state this claim that have been published in a peer-reviewed academic journal.”
Read the full story on VERA Files Fact Check.
