Fact check: Claim about weekly Pfizer vaccines is satire

The claim: Pfizer scientists warned weekly vaccinations against omicron may be needed to avoid lockdown

As many Americans get their booster vaccines against COVID-19 – some begrudgingly – an article circulating on social media claims one vaccine producer's scientists are upping the ante. 

"Pfizer Scientists Warn Weekly Vaccinations May Be Needed For Omicron Variant COVID-19 To Prevent Lockdown," reads the headline of a Dec. 1 article on the website The Stonk Market.

The article goes on to say that Pfizer scientists released a "shocking new statement" that says the pharmaceutical company is working to develop a "weekly vaccination booster system" to prevent the spread of the omicron variant. 

More:'Our best defense': Pfizer says third dose of its COVID vaccine protects against omicron, Fauci expects same from Moderna's

The article received more than 1,500 interactions on Facebook and 1,100 on Twitter in about 10 days, according to the social media analytics tool CrowdTangle. 

But, as you may have guessed from the website's name, the article is satire. Stonk Market's website includes a disclaimer that says it is a "financial satire site" that aims to "provide daily humor and make stonks go up." Searches of Pfizer's press release archives and Google turned up no legitimate reports in line with the article's claims.

USA TODAY reached out to Stonk Market for comment.

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Article is satire

Though the Stonk Market report doesn't say so outright, there are a number of signs that the article is satirical. 

The first, of course, is the website's name. The term "stonks" is a deliberate misspelling of the term "stocks," as traded in the stock market, according to Dictionary.com. The term is commonly used as part of a meme that social media users post when joking about poor financial decisions. 

The website's disclaimer that its content is intended to be satirical is at the bottom of the page. 

"TheStonkMarket.com is a financial satire site. ... Mission: To provide daily humor and make stonks go up," the disclaimer reads. 

A search of Pfizer's press release archive turned up no statements related to weekly vaccinations against omicron, and no reliable news accounts reported anything in this vein.

More:Pfizer says COVID booster protects against omicron

Pfizer told Lead Stories that it "has not made any statement and there is no evidence that we need weekly vaccinations."

The pharmaceutical company did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. 

Our rating: Satire

Based on our research, we rate SATIRE the claim that Pfizer scientists warned that weekly vaccinations against omicron may be needed to avoid a lockdown. Stonk Market's website includes a disclaimer that says it is a satire site. Searches of Pfizer's press release archives and Google turned up no legitimate reports in line with the article's claims.

Our fact-check sources:

• Dictionary.com, Feb. 2, stonks
• Know Your Meme, retrieved Dec. 11, Stonks
• Pfizer, retrieved Dec. 11, Press Release Archive
• Google, retrieved Dec. 11, Search: "Pfizer 'weekly vaccinations' against omicron"
• Lead Stories, Dec. 10, Fact Check: Pfizer Scientists Did NOT Warn Of Weekly Vaccinations For The Omicron Variant

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