Has the Covid-19 vaccine led to a new breed of "pandemic babies" being born across the world? That’s what some anti-vaxxers would have you believe. A viral TikTok video shows what some people claim is one of these genetically mutated babies. The Truth or Fake team got to the bottom of a popular online theory worthy of science fiction.
In a video that went viral on TikTok, a newborn baby sits on a bed in what looks like a hospital, with someone next to her supporting her upright. Her big black eyes look around, blinking slowly. Overlaid on the video is a woman’s commentary, telling us, “These pandemic babies are built differently.”
Images of this baby have spread on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, with captions describing her as having “hybrid genetics” or claiming that an “American court” has categorised her and babies like her as “transhuman”. And the cause of the baby’s “genetic mutation”? The Covid-19 vaccine.
Anti-vaxxers are claiming that women who received the Covid-19 vaccine when pregnant unintentionally damaged the genetics of their unborn babies, creating a new breed of “pandemic babies”.
The Truth or Fake team contacted the mother of the child to ask her about the viral video and some of the online claims people have made about her daughter. She told us that her daughter has perfectly normal genetics and eyes, and that she was born prematurely, which could explain her slightly underdeveloped appearance. What’s more, her mother hadn’t even received the Covid-19 jab when she was pregnant and only received it months after giving birth.
