Remember the movie ‘I Am Legend’ starring Will Smith about humans turning into zombies?
Well apparently, certain vaccine-hesitant people are afraid to get their Covid-19 vaccination because of what happened in the movie.
I’m sorry, what? https://t.co/KGCWsuqDtp pic.twitter.com/CF0qqqCOoG
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) August 9, 2021
Just to recap, the movie is a post-apocalyptic thriller where humans either die or turn into zombies after being infected with a genetically engineered virus to cure cancer. Will Smith’s character, who is immune to the virus, goes in search of a cure while defending himself against the hostile mutants.
While some people claim that the humans in the movie turned into zombies because of a vaccine, the plot of the film shows that the plague was actually caused by a modified measles virus, NOT a vaccine, reported CNN.
Since the first Covid-19 vaccines were authoritised in 2020, Reuters had to release a ‘fact check’ report to debunk these claims.
“Social media users have been sharing content online that claims characters in the movie “I Am Legend” starring actor Will Smith turned into zombies because of a vaccine. This claim is false,” the report wrote.
“This genetically engineered measles virus is the reason for the plague and the zombie-like creatures in the fictional film. It was not a vaccination but a modified virus used to treat cancer.”
The claims became so ridiculous that the movie’s screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, had to clarify that the movie was just pure fiction.
“Oh. My. God. It’s a movie. I made that up. It’s. Not. Real.” he wrote in a tweet.
Oh. My. God. It’s a movie. I made that up. It’s. Not. Real.
— Akiva Goldsman (@AkivaGoldsman) August 9, 2021
Even though the Covid-19 vaccine does not prevent one from getting infected, it has already been showing promising results to prevent recipients from being hospitalised or entering the ICU.
Let movies stay as movies and focus on getting yourself and your loved ones vaccinated!
Also read: 84.6% Of Critical Covid-19 Patients Reported On 10 August Were Not Vaccinated, Says Health DG
