Mayor’s sudden collapse during interview sparks vaccine conspiracy theory

The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, collapsed during a press conference this week, prompting many social media users to speculate if it was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante just collapsed on live television,” @EndWokeness wrote on X, formerly Twitter, sharing the video of Plante falling down during a press conference on Tuesday. The replies to the post included many users asking if she received the COVID-19 vaccine and if that was the cause for her sudden collapse.

The COVID vaccine became a flashpoint during the pandemic and people have continued to speak out about the side effects of the vaccine. Adverse side effects have been reported since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine and some people have died. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks and that severe reactions are rare.

Jeckov Kanani, who has been an outspoken critic of Canada’s COVID response, posted a video of the mayor’s collapse on X, and encouraged people not to take the vaccine. He added that people shouldn’t get the booster, either. Others posted that this should be a “wake up call” and used the hashtag “vaccine side effect.” The Telegram account “Vaccine Injuries” also posted about the mayor’s collapse.

Plante confirmed in December 2021 that she was double vaccinated against COVID-19. Despite claims from social media users, Plante’s office confirmed to Newsweek that the sudden collapse was not due to the vaccine.

“After an assessment by a medical team, the mayor is doing well. She thanks the staff involved and all the words of support received today. As a precautionary measure following her illness, she will be reducing the pace of her activities over the next few days and will be absent from the Ville-Marie Borough Council meeting this evening. She will gradually resume her activities and thanks everyone for their understanding and support,” Plante’s spokesperson told Newsweek adding that the sudden collapse was “absolutely” not caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Montreal mayor isn’t the first person to suffer a medical emergency and have it spark theories about the COVID vaccine being involved. The deaths of former NFL player Matt Ulrich, Lisa Marie Presley and several others sparked similar comments. In July, Lebron ‘Bronny‘ James Jr. suffered cardiac arrest while practicing basketball at the University of Southern California (USC) prompting many to question if it was caused by the vaccine. However, there was no evidence to support these claims.

Several other social media users also questioned if Plante’s collapse was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine. User @NiohBerg wrote, “Valérie Plante the Mayor of Montreal collapsed on live TV. Question: How many boosters did she have?”

X user @BubbleBathGirl shared a photo of Plante receiving a vaccine and said, “Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante strongly backed mandatory vaccination for elected officials.”