It’s a wild world out there on Telegram.
Around 100 people are sharing claims that people are becoming magnetic due to COVID-19 vaccines.
The channel “SG The Magnetic Group Chat” was noticed by others outside of the encrypted messaging platform, inviting trolls to come on board with jokes referencing the Magneto villain of the X-Men comic series. Since July, the group has shared at least 30 so-called cases of individuals claiming to be able to stick metal objects onto their bodies either after taking the COVID-19 vaccine or by being around vaccinated individuals, while also discussing ways to “detoxify” themselves of materials they incorrectly believe are in the vaccines.
Metal sticks to sweaty skin, and the bizarre theory there is a link to vaccination continues to circulate despite being thoroughly debunked.
The channel was ridiculed on the internet over the weekend and has since been closed to the public.
“Welcome all our new subscribers. We had to remove many trolls due to their complete disrespect for emerging science and evidence,” the channel administrator said yesterday. “Our group discussion will remain closed until we purge all the trolls. In the meantime, please read all previous posts to understand why people are magnetic and feel free to try it out on your own fellow vaccinated friends/family under the right conditions.”
One of its latest cases showed an elderly Singaporean woman being able to stick a metal ruler onto her left arm after taking her vaccine booster shot last month. Other messages showed a man being able to stick a metal key to the left side of his forehead, and another showed an unvaccinated woman living with vaccinated family members stick a coin on her forehead and a metal spoon on her right arm.
Again, people have been slapping metal spoons and coins onto their sweaty flesh long before COVID-19.
Some were also comparing field meter readings of their bodies, implying that there were stronger magnetic fields around vaccinated individuals.
Despite experts around the world quashing claims of the magnetic effects of COVID-19 vaccines, videos of people promoting the idea continue to rake in hundreds of thousands of views on platforms like TikTok.
The SG Magnetic Group Chat is just one of several on Telegram where Singapore’s anti-vaxxers have been gathering to discuss disproven theories related to the coronavirus. Others include the channel “SG Covid La Kopi” which has 13,055 members, and another one centered on the parasite pill Ivermectin, which counts about 1,000.
Nonetheless, Singapore says that 83% of the population has been vaccinated.
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