A post claiming that 12-year-old Italian tennis player, Cloe Giani Giavazzi, who died recently, received the COVID-19 vaccine prior to death is doing rounds on social media. Some even claimed that the player died because of vaccination.
However, a fact check conducted by Reuters news agency found the claim to be unsubstantial. Italian media reports have also not mentioned the vaccination angle anywhere.
Laura Golarsa, founder of Golarsa Academy, where Giavazzi trained told Reuters via email that the claims are fake.
The 12-year-old tennis player died on June 12, 2021, in Milan, Italy reportedly after ‘sudden illness’.
This is the post in question.
“How many kids have to die before you people wake up!? 12 year olds paying for your stupidity with their life. DO NOT INJECT YOUR CHILDREN,” read the post.
The posts have been marked under false information by social media platform Instagram.
Another news website by the name of Dead Death also published an obituary for the promising young tennis player based on the unverified claim that the COVID-19 vaccination led to Giavazzi’s sudden death.
However, Italy’s health ministry released a document stating priority groups for the COVID-19 vaccination. Children are not among this group.
“After inoculating frontline workers, Italy has been working to vaccinate its population starting with its oldest citizens. While the vaccine may have been approved for use, the country has not administered vaccines to children” the Ministry of Health of Italy writes on its websites.
Only a small percentage of children with underlying health conditions have been given vaccine.
Italy has approved three COVID-19 vaccines for use, including the ones produced by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.
