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Claim

On 28th September 2020 the mayor of London Sadiq Khan faked getting a flu vaccination.

Snopes Rating – None

Full Fact Rating – None

Our Rating – Partially true

Justification

Sadiq Khan tweeted the following along with a photo

We are heading into flu season.

If you or someone you know is entitled to receive a flu jab, remember you can get one for free at your local high street pharmacy or GP surgery.

Booking one is easy. Just visit http://londonflu.co.uk

In the image it can clearly seen that this is a photo opportunity and not a real vaccination being given.

A close up of the original image shows that the needle has it’s cap on it and thus could not be used to give an injection into his arm as is suggested by the tweet. Also it appears that despite his shirt being rolled back it is covering the intended site of the injection.

This is not the first time a politician has posed for a photo of a vaccination being given, there are other examples of this happening from around the world.

The premier of Queensland, Australia, Annastacia Palaszczuk was filmed in a second mock vaccination shot for the press as they missed the first:

The Ontario Minister of Health, Christine Elliott may also have staged a vaccination injection for the press.

It is unlikely that Sadiq Khan is a genuinely faking his vaccination because he is afraid to take one, giving the mayor two vaccination shots could be dangerous to his health so it is also likely that a press piece would not actually give him a second injection, and instead use a dummy needle for the sake of appearances. However this exercise is misleading to the general public, and should not be done to avoid such speculation of what is obviously posed.

Evidence

Twitter:

Here is an image of new disposable hypodermic needles showing the safety caps:

Author

laz@closertogod.net

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