About

Pfizer Vaccine Shaking Videos, also known as Pfizer Seizure Videos or Pfizer Tremors Videos and associated with the catchphrase Thanks Pfizer, refer to a conspiracy theory and series of viral anti-vaccination videos on Twitter supposedly showing a side effect of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in which people are violently and uncontrollably shaking similar to tremors and seizures. The videos were purported to be real by their original posters in 2022 and 2023, however, many were skeptical of them, believing that they were fake due to multiple, scientific and visual inconsistencies. Therefore, many parodies and memes of the videos surfaced online in which creators posted unserious clips of people dancing or shaking and captioned them akin to the "🚨URGENT🚨" captions of the posts intended to be serious.

Origin

On August 4th, 2021, Twitter^[6] user AngeliaDesselle posted her first video that showed her leg shaking (which she claimed was due to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine), earning over 100 likes in two years. On May 7th, 2022, Twitter^[1] user AngeliaDesselle tweeted another video that again showed her legs shaking uncontrollably while on the couch trying to watch TV. AngeliaDesselle captioned the video, "Thanks Pfizer," blaming Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for her tremors. Over the course of eight months, the video received roughly 20.4 million views and 32,200 likes (shown below).

Thanks Pfizer pic.twitter.com/IHSFTVUf7s

— Angelia Desselle (@AngeliaDesselle) May 7, 2022

On May 9th, 2022, Twitter^[2] user alsoabouteve replied with their own video that parodied AngeliaDesselle's video by showing their legs shaking and saying "Thanks Pfizer" with a satirical tone. The video received roughly 1 million views and 7,200 likes in eight months (shown below). Twitter user alsoabouteve felt justified in parodying the video due to a misinformation warning that was placed by the Twitter algorithm underneath AngeliaDesselle's video. The warning linked to the CDC^[3] website and reiterated, "Spasming has not been a proven side effect of the vaccine, and this account frequently posts misinformation."

The same thing happened to me!!! I’m with you ✊🏻 pic.twitter.com/1yOfss082r

— Eve (My NDA is up) 6000 🦋 (@alsoabouteve) May 9, 2022

Spread

Despite the discourse about Pfizer vaccine seizures starting in 2021 and 2022, memes and parodies of the videos didn't surface en masse until January 2023 when Twitter user healthbyjames began tweeting various videos that supposedly showed Pfizer vaccine-induced seizures. On January 14th, 2023, he posted a tweet^[4] with one of these videos, earning roughly 2,600 likes in nine days. On January 19th, he posted another, similar tweet^[5] that received roughly 8,300 likes in four days (shown below).

🧵/🚨URGENT-- Angelia, 45, a healthcare worker was mandated to take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, 3 days later paralyzed from legs down, followed by severe convulsions and seizures, can no longer, clean, cook, drive a car, requires full-time caretaker, "i'm a prisoner in my own home" pic.twitter.com/xHaR1iLVdL

— James Cintolo, RN FN CPT (@healthbyjames) January 19, 2023

The videos, among others, circled memetic discourse back to Twitter^[1] user AngeliaDesselle's May 2022 video, inspiring many users to post viral replies and QTs on January 19th, 2023. More parodies then surfaced online, such as one from Twitter^[7] user TomZohar on January 20th that captioned an SNL sketch featuring Kristen Wiig with, "This poor woman got the Pfizer vaccine and was trying to turn off a lamp when this happened 😢 please pray for her," gaining roughly 20,400 likes in three days (shown below).

This poor woman got the Pfizer vaccine and was trying to turn off a lamp when this happened 😢 please pray for her pic.twitter.com/fHCct5dlMR

— Tom Zohar (@TomZohar) January 21, 2023

More parodies surfaced, like one posted by Twitter^[8] user SocialistMD on January 21st, 2023, that captioned a video of YasinCengiz dancing to 'Dom Dom Yes Yes' with "🚨URGENT -- my cousin Mahmut, 45, a healthcare worker in Turkey was mandated to take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, 3 days later, he cannot stop shaking, 'i'm a prisoner in my own home' This should be considered a crime." The tweet received roughly 75,900 likes in two days (shown below).

🚨URGENT -- my cousin Mahmut, 45, a healthcare worker in Turkey was mandated to take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, 3 days later, he cannot stop shaking, "i'm a prisoner in my own home"This should be considered a crime pic.twitter.com/H3lbTcwzwz

— surge mate (@SocialistMD) January 22, 2023

Various Examples

URGENT-- Rogelio, 25, a healthcare worker was mandated to take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, 3 days later paralyzed from legs down, followed by severe convulsions and seizures, can no longer, clean, cook, drive a car, requires full-time caretaker, "i'm a prisoner in my own home" https://t.co/I5nZaD1hvb pic.twitter.com/6kRIqY8DZn

— NoTrueLeftist🚊☢️ (@notrueleftist) January 21, 2023

🚨URGENT-- Dan, 26, a healthcare worker was mandated to take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, 3 days later getting sudden movements, severe convulsions and seizures, can no longer, clean, cook, drive a car, or go to the store without grabbing attention, "i'm a prisoner in my own home" pic.twitter.com/EuqM94IkSg

— 🌺 GERMIS 🌺 (@Germiili) January 22, 2023

“Thanks Pfizer” pic.twitter.com/hAJezAKgh1

— Ash (@theashrb) January 21, 2023

My brother in Christ had the Pfizer vaccine earlier today. Keep him lifted please 🥺🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/r3yxkfeg5v

— Orlando Valentino (@OVeezyy) January 22, 2023

Search Interest

External References