FACT CHECK: Image Falsely Claims The Wife Of Pfizer’s CEO Died Of COVID-19 Vaccine Complications

An image shared on Facebook claims Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla’s wife, Myriam, has died from complications from the COVID-19 vaccine.

Verdict: False

Albert Bourla’s wife, Myriam, has not died.

Fact Check:

The image looks to show a screen grab of an article published Nov. 10 by the Conservative Beaver titled “Wife of Pfizer’s CEO dies after complications from the vaccine.” The article claims Albert Bourla’s wife, Myriam, passed away in the emergency room at New York-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital early Wednesday of last week.

That is, however, not true. Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, has not posted any announcement of her death on his verified Twitter account. Instead, on Nov. 11, he shared a photo of him and his wife attending the Atlantic Council’s 2021 Distinguished Leadership Awards the previous night. The event was held in Washington, D.C, on the evening of Nov. 10, according to the Atlantic Council’s website.

Enjoying the moment with my wife and Pfizer’s Chief Human Resources Officer at last night’s @AtlanticCouncil Distinguished Leadership Awards. Glad we were able to be together in person as I accepted this award on behalf of our purpose-driven colleagues around the world. pic.twitter.com/y3r0y6peal

— Albert Bourla (@AlbertBourla) November 11, 2021

“Enjoying the moment with my wife and Pfizer’s Chief Human Resources Officer at last night’s @AtlanticCouncil Distinguished Leadership Awards,” reads the Nov. 11 tweet. “Glad we were able to be together in person as I accepted this award on behalf of our purpose-driven colleagues around the world.”

Keanna Ghazvini, a spokesperson for Pfizer, also refuted the claim in an email to Check Your Fact. (RELATED: Has Pfizer Bourla Been Arrested By The FBI On Fraud Charges?)

“Our CEO’s wife is alive and well contrary to what was said on the Internet,” Ghazvini said. “It is unconscionable that a person posing as a journalist would spread such outrageous lies about our CEO and his family with the goal of undermining confidence in a vaccine that has been given to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. They are deliberately and maliciously attempting to cause emotional distress to the Bourla family and more importantly doing damage to innocent people around the world who put their lives at risk by believing such rubbish.”

Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company, has created one of the three COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in August for people ages 16 and older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on its website that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Over 442 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S. as of Monday, according to CDC data.

The Conservative Beaver has a history of promulgating misinformation. Earlier this month, Check Your Fact debunked a claim that originated from the website that falsely alleged Albert Bourla had been arrested by the FBI on fraud charges.

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