A post shared on Facebook purports FDA chief called to end to COVID-19 vaccinations because “millions are dropping dead.” 

Verdict: False

There is no evidence for this claim. It stems originally from a website notorious for spreading misinformation.

Fact Check:

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis asked lawmakers in the state to permanently enact penalties for employers who require COVID-19 vaccination as a term for employment, CNN reported. The governor is also seeking to permanently ban all COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates for schools and government agencies, according to The Hill.

A Facebook post allegedly shows an article reporting that an FDA chief has called for an “immediate end” to COVID-19 vaccines. The post features an article with a photo of a child being inoculated. “FDA Chief Calls for an Immediate End to COVID Vaccines,” the headline reads. “’Millions Are Dropping Dead.'”

This claim is fabricated, however. There is no evidence in this op-ed, however, that he called for an end to the COVID-19 vaccine because “millions are dropping dead.” Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting an FDA chief made such a statement.

It stems from an article by NewsPunch. NewsPunch, formerly known as “YourNewsWire,” is “one of the most popular fake news publishers in the world,” according to a 2018 Poynter article.

The NewsPunch article refers to Dr. Paul Offit as an “FDA chief” and references his op-ed about the effectiveness of bivalent COVID-19 boosters. Offit is rather a member of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), not an actual employee or chief of the agency. (RELATED: Did The COVID-19 Vaccine Cause A Sports Reporter To Die From An Aortic Aneurysm?)

“I didn’t call for an immediate withdrawal of COVID Vaccines,” Offit told Lead Stories regarding the claims.

Offit did, however, emphasize in an article for the New England Journal of Medicine that boosting with bivalent vaccines should be reserved for older adults, those with coexisting conditions and those who are immuno-compromised. At no point in the study did he suggest revoking access to the vaccine.

This is not the first time misinformation about the vaccine has spread online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim Ireland listed “sudden death” as a side effect to the COVID-19 vaccine.