A Covid vaccine made with HIV protein was trialled but never rolled out
What was claimed
The BBC “admitted” that HIV was added to the Covid-19 vaccine.
Our verdict
The BBC was reporting on a trial vaccine that contained an HIV protein, not the virus itself, and which was never rolled out to the public.
A viral Facebook post claims that a video shows how the BBC “accidentally admitted” HIV was added to the Covid vaccines, but this is missing some important context, as we said when similar posts were being shared in 2022.
Firstly, the clip, which comes from a BBC documentary from June 2021, describes researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia, using a protein from the HIV virus to stabilise an experimental vaccine—not adding the whole HIV virus itself.
This was intended to help the spike protein keep its original form and evoke a stronger immune response.
Secondly, the vaccine described in this clip was never given to the general public, after early trials revealed that some subjects made HIV antibodies in response to it (although it did not affect their health and they were not infected with HIV).
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As a result, this clip doesn’t mean that any part of the HIV virus was added to the Covid-19 vaccines that were actually authorised and used in the UK.
Health misinformation can harm people’s health by spreading confusion about the causes and treatments of illnesses and creating distrust of medical professionals.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as missing context because no part of the HIV virus was used in Covid vaccines rolled out to the public.
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