Videos showing people sticking magnets where they claim to have received the Covid vaccine have racked up millions of views on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The posting of these videos has gone viral, following the initiation of a challenge called the “magnet challenge” (#magnetchallenge).
There are those who say that there must be something magnetic in vaccines. But the claims in this regard go even further into the imagination, saying that this proves that the magnet sticking is evidence that vaccines contain microchips – a theory that is not true.
BBC Reality Check's Jack Goodman breaks down the so-called #magnetchallenge.
These videos show people placing magnets in the area where they were injected with vaccines, to claim that there is metal in its contents, thus implying that there are microchips.
However, BBC research clearly shows that this claim is false.
Magnetic scientists from the UK say that some vaccines contain aluminum, but the presence of this substance is very small and that the magnet does not stick to the aluminum at all.
They say there is no scientific justification for this claim made in the videos that have been shared. They argue that magnetic objects, as well as various metals, can remain in the body, thanks to the fatty surface and electricity in the skin.
"We've seen many children and others who put metal coins in their bodies. They can stay because the skin has a surface of skin and electricity."
(Full video published by BBC)