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> RECORD OBS-0586 | status: DEBUNKED | filed 2026-07-31
Home > Health > COVID-19 vaccine animal trials were skipped

COVID-19 vaccine animal trials were skipped

RecordOBS-0586
CategoryHealth/Vaccines
StatusDEBUNKED
SummaryA previously debunked video shows doctors suggesting that animal trials were skipped before manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine. This claim is false; Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, and Oxford University all released data from animal trials before or during vaccine development.
OriginThe claim circulated in a video compilation of doctors that was debunked by Reuters in 2020, and was later included in the documentary 'The New Normal'.
Claimed
  • Animal trials were skipped before manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine.
Evidence / consensusPfizer and BioNTech released data on the effects of their mRNA vaccine in mice and non-human primates in September 2020. Moderna also released similar information. Oxford University confirmed its vaccine underwent animal trials in the UK, US, and Australia.
> OBSERVER NOTE:
A straightforward falsehood. The vaccine development process was accelerated but did not skip animal trials. The claim likely stems from a misunderstanding of the expedited timeline.

Sources

  1. Fact check: Multiple misleading suggestions made in documentary on the COVID-19 pandemic | Reuters

Sources are external and provided for verification. Listing does not imply the Observer endorses their claims.