On Dec. 28, 2021, Mark McGowan, premier of the state of Western Australia, shared an image on Twitter of the moment he received his COVID-19 booster.
"We know that a third dose is so important in providing protection against the new Omicron variant," he said in the tweet.
But then a screenshot of the tweet began circulating online, accompanied by text claiming the injection had been faked.
"They fake it while fooling people into the real deal," reads the caption of a Dec. 30 Facebook post.
The image features a close-up of the syringe that purportedly shows a cap covering the needle.
USA TODAY reached out to several users who shared the claim for comment.
"The official photos of Mark McGowan do show him receiving a 'shot' with the orange cap clearly blocking the needle," one user replied.
But that's not the case. Images and video footage show an uncovered needle going into McGowan's arm.
Special access for subscribers! Click here to sign up for our fact-check text chat
Similar versions were shared on Facebook and Instagram. The image also circulated on Twitter where it accumulated hundreds of interactions.
McGowan's media adviser directed USA TODAY to an image and comment McGowan shared on Facebook in response to the claim circulating online. The image shows the needle.
"Unfortunately a few people are wrongly suggesting the syringe still has a cap on and using this to...
The DBM released P362 million to accelerate recovery efforts, while a House bill is seeking a P15-billion supplemental budget for Mindanao quake victims Claim: No budget has been allotted to help ...