'Air vaccine' for use on unwilling people doesn't exist, no tie to Bill Gates | Fact check

The claim: Bill Gates funded an 'air vaccine' that can be given without people’s approval

An Oct. 3 article by The People's Voice shows a person dressed in a hazmat suit and mask standing on the steps of a helicopter.

"Bill Gates’ latest venture to mass vaccinate billions of people around the globe with his mRNA ‘air vaccine’ has been given the green-light by multiple governments," reads the article. "The air vaccine will 'indiscriminately' force jab the entire planet with mRNA, delivering the toxic chemicals straight into a person’s lungs."

The article was shared more than 700 times on Facebook, according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool.

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Our rating: False

The article drastically misrepresents a study that looked at a nasal mRNA vaccine. The study involved research animals, not humans, and one of the researchers said the technology could not be used to vaccinate people without their permission. A spokesperson said Bill Gates did not provide funding for the study. The article is posted on a website that routinely publishes misinformation.

Study didn't involve humans and wasn't funded by Gates

The article references a study published Aug. 16 in Science Translational Medicine, a biomedical research journal. The study found mRNA molecules delivered through the nose of research animals could effectively vaccinate them against COVID-19, according to Mark Saltzman, the Yale engineering professor who led the research team.

However, the study did not involve humans, Saltzman told USA TODAY. And the technique involved couldn't be used to "mass vaccinate" anyone.

"Contrary to reports on social media, an airborne technique to vaccinate humans without their consent would not work," he said. "Humans must receive a controlled dose that is administered directly into the nose."

While the article claims researchers have been "given the green light by multiple governments" to use the technology on humans, there are no credible news reports to support the claim.

Consent to treatment is a foundational element of healthcare in the United States. The code of ethics for medical providers developed by the American Medical Association says informed consent – when patients agree to receive a specific medical intervention – is "fundamental in both ethics and law."

"Patients have the right to receive information and ask questions about recommended treatments so that they can make well-considered decisions about care," the code says.

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The study's funding sources are listed in the research, and there is no mention of Bill Gates. A spokesperson for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said the claim is false.

The People's Voice, previously known as NewsPunch, has repeatedly published fabricated stories, many of which USA TODAY has debunked.

USA TODAY reached out to The People's Voice but did not immediately receive a response.

The Associated Press and Reuters also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Mark Saltzman, Oct. 24, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spokesperson, Oct. 24, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• Science Translational Medicine, Aug. 16, Polymer nanoparticles deliver mRNA to the lung for mucosal vaccination

• American Medical Association, accessed Oct. 25, Informed consent

• USA TODAY, Sept. 15, Vaccinating people from airplanes is not feasible, contrary to post | Fact check

• FDA, accessed Oct. 25, Informed Consent for Clinical Trials

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No evidence 'air vaccine' approved for use in humans | Fact check