We’re in the middle of another Covid surge, and the people at Donald Trump’s favorite conservative network are still pushing the most unoriginal, moronic conspiracy theories about the vaccine.
OAN host Dan Ball is the latest anti-vax whacko to get in on the fun. Ball invited a random woman onto his show whose only claim to fame and scientific expertise is a couple of Tik Tok videos claiming getting the shot magnetized her body. Amelia Miller posted a series of videos of herself “sticking” various objects to her arm, alleging that the Pfizer vaccine had magnetized her arm. Ball saw the videos and brought her onto his show, not because he’s a conspiracy theorist (though he does believe in “government coverups”), but because he’s just a concerned citizen who wants to get to the bottom of all this … or so he says.
The on-air scientific experiment went about as well as you’d think.
Miller first detailed her experience contracting Covid late last year, admitting the virus hit her hard, sending her to the hospital on multiple occasions, and resulting in some debilitating long-haul symptoms. As traumatic as the whole thing was, Miller claimed she still struggled with whether to get the vaccine but chose “the lesser of two evils” and got her first jab in June of this year. She said after her second shot a few weeks later, she began experiencing strange symptoms including a metallic taste in her mouth, pulsing in her arm, and various metal objects sticking to her injection site. But when Ball asked her to give a demonstration of this phenomenon, that’s when the cringe-level of the whole interview reached unbearable heights.
In the video, Miller can be seen placing a “strong metal key hook” on her left bicep, holding her arm at what appears to be a 45-degree angle. She lets it sit there for a few seconds, turning slightly to show how it simply won’t fall off. She then takes the key hook and places it on her right arm, where it immediately falls off. And … that’s her proof. Ball appears incredulous, even as Miller picks up another metal plate, one you’d find on a bracelet, and tries to stick it to her left arm. It falls off quickly causing Miller to struggle with the rest of her on-air with her magnet show.
https://twitter.com/LisPower1/status/1426204015793221640
It’s all so tragically dumb that we’re not sure fact-checking it is even worth anything at this point, but … what the hell. First, the spot Miller claims she got the shot is too far down, too far inside to seem like a credible location for a vaccine that’s supposed to be delivered intramuscularly. Second, the needle used to inject the vaccine is too small to contain a chip or magnet of any kind, and certainly not large enough to inject the kind of magnet needed to be able to stick things to your skin. Third, as all of those celebrities who don’t shower probably know, when skin is sweaty, things stick to it. Just pressing something to your skin hard enough can cause it to stick for a few seconds.