Palmer blasted for spreading Covid untruths

The advertising segments ran on stations on the Grand Broadcasters Radio network and falsely claimed coronavirus vaccines have caused hundreds of deaths.

The website Radio Today posted an excerpt from a radio ad that said: “Australia has had one Covid-19 associated death in 2021.

“But the TGA reports that there’s been 210 deaths and over 24,000 adverse reactions after Covid vaccinations. Authorised by Clive Palmer, Brisbane.”

The TGA, a regulatory agency that is responsible for medicines in Australia, said it had contacted both Mr Palmer and the Grant Broadcasters Radio network over the ads.

It said there had only been one confirmed death related to coronavirus vaccines in Australia.

“The TGA investigates reported adverse events and has found only one case where an individual with vaccine related thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) or any other related condition has passed away,” a statement published by the TGA on Tuesday read.

It said that while there have been deaths reported in within days or weeks of vaccination, only the one death had been confirmed to actually be connected with the jab.

Of the radio ad, the TGA said: “Such misinformation, in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, poses an unacceptable threat to the health of Australians.

“Public figures have a responsibility to be factual and to not to undermine our health through spreading misleading information.

“The head of the TGA, Adjunct Professor John Skerritt has written to both Mr Palmer and the CEO of the Grant Broadcasters Radio network to remind them of this responsibility.”

Australia has logged 910 deaths from the coronavirus, out of a total of 30,195 cases as of Tuesday afternoon.

That’s far less than most other countries and in large part due to Australia’s success at keeping the virus from spreading in the community.

Worldwide, the coronavirus has killed over 3.7 million people out of a total of 173 million infections, according to the World Health Organisation.