By: Natasha Archary

The Department of Health has urged the public to not share or believe a misleading voicenote that has been making its rounds on social media.
A voicenote claiming that people who were vaccinated against Covid-19 are not dying due to side effects from the vaccine has been labelled as false by the Department.
Additionally, the voicenote in question promotes the use of an unregistered, over-the-counter charcoal product as the solution to preventing death linked to the Covid-19 vaccines.
In a statement, the Department has dispelled the voicenote and advised the public that the “Nature’s Choice – Activated Charcoal” product it not a registered product under the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).
“The Department of Health has noted a misleading voicenote making rounds on social media platforms claiming that people who vaccinated against Covid-19 are dying due to the vaccine.
The voicenote promotes the use of an unregistered, over-the-counter product called Nature’s Choice – Activated Charcoal as the solution to allegedly prevent such deaths.
There are no reported deaths casually linked to Covid-19 vaccines, except for the three cases that the Department reported early in 2023.
Members of the public are urged to ignore this erroneous social media content. The voicenote has a potential to cause significant confusion, anger, and anxiety especially amongst those who lost their loved ones due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Activated charcoal is used after alcohol binges and the ingestion poison.
Some people drink activated charcoal to relieve flatulence. If a person is on treatment activated charcoal may bind to the active ingredient and reduce the effectiveness of medication. Abuse of activated charcoal may also interfere with absorption of nutrients in the diet.
The Department advises the public to use any over-the-counter and unscheduled health products with caution, and on advice of a registered health professional.
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