Korean-language social media posts have shared multiple claims about a Covid-19 vaccine made by US pharma giant Novavax after South Korea's regulators approved the jab for use in January 2022. The posts suggest the Nuvaxovid jab is not safe for humans because it "contains moth and spider DNA", and claim more than 200 "cases of serious side effects" from the vaccine have been reported. These claims are misleading: as of March 11, 2022 Nuvaxovid has been approved as safe to use by health authorities in dozens of countries including South Korea. Experts told AFP the vaccine does not contain animal DNA.

The claims were shared here on Facebook on February 17, 2022.

The post's Korean-language caption translates in part as: "Novavax has not yet been approved by the [US] Food and Drug Administration and was only approved in South Korea.

"They say there is moth and spider DNA inside Novavax. There have also been 228 cases of serious side effects reported among 20,000 adults [who got the jab]."

Whilst it is true that the Nuvaxovid jab is awaiting approval from the FDA in the US, it has already been approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency, AFP reported in December 2021.

In the same month, the European Commission authorised the vaccine in the EU for people 18 and over.

In Asia-Pacific, regulators in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines have also approved the jab for emergency use.

The post circulated online days after South...

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