A Facebook post falsely alleges that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla stated, “By 2023, we will reduce the world population by 50%.” The claim is accompanied by a link to a website that originally featured this statement as its headline.
In reality, Bourla was referring to reducing by 50% the number of people unable to afford Pfizer’s medicines by 2023.
The linked website includes a video of Bourla speaking at Davos, an annual event organized by the World Economic Forum (WEF), a global non-governmental organization focused on shaping economic and policy discussions. In a misleadingly edited version of the video, it appears as though he says:
“The first week we met, in January of ’19 in California, and set up the goals for the next five years. And one of them was by 2023, we would reduce the number of people in the world by 50%. I think today, this dream is becoming reality.”
The audience applauds after his statement.
However, the full, unedited interview between Bourla and WEF founder Klaus Schwab reveals what he actually said:
“The first week we met in January of ’19 in California, we set up the goals for the next five years. And one of them was by 2023, we will reduce the number of people in the world that cannot afford our medicines by 50%. I think today, this dream is becoming reality.”
The website linked in the Facebook post corrected its headline and issued a note admitting it had edited the video to remove the phrase “who cannot afford our medicines.” However, it still promotes misleading claims, suggesting, without evidence—that Covid-19 vaccines caused widespread deaths and injuries.
In reality, there is no credible data supporting the claim that millions have died or been harmed by COVID-19 vaccines. Official sources, such as the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS), confirm that severe side effects are rare. Health experts have identified certain risks, such as rare blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, they overwhelmingly agree that COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives worldwide.
Misinterpretations like this can fuel vaccine hesitancy and spread misinformation, making it essential to verify sources before sharing such claims.