Leading South African broadcaster eNCA has claimed that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer admitted to not testing its Covid-19 vaccine before its release in December 2020. But AFP Fact Check found this to be a misinterpretation of remarks made by a Pfizer executive during a recent European Parliament hearing. Prior to the vaccine's launch, widely publicised clinical trials had proven its ability to prevent severe infection. However, what was not yet known was whether the jab also blocked transmission of the virus -- and Pfizer clearly stated so at the time of the studies being carried out. The point about transmission was raised at the EP hearing and later misconstrued on social media and by eNCA as evidence that Pfizer had lied about testing the vaccine at all. South Africa's lead pandemic expert, who was interviewed during the eCNA news segment, warned against misinterpreting the Pfizer testimonial.

On October 14, 2022, South African news channel eNCA ran a news report headlined "Pfizer admits its jab was not tested", also uploaded to YouTube account here.

In the bulletin, a presenter claims that “Pfizer has admitted it lied about its Covid-19 vaccine efficacy before it entered the market. She alleges that the company “told the European Parliament it was not tested before general public use. This is raising concerns as many took the vaccine hoping it will protect them”.

Professor Shabir Madhi, who headed South Africa's response during the Covid-19 outbreak, was interviewed for...

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