A devastating tornado with winds estimated at 150mph has left dozens of properties in North Carolina in ruin with at least 13 people injured, according to local officials.
The path of destruction left by the dangerous winds on Wednesday also impacted a large plant owned by the drug company and COVID vaccine manufacturer Pfizer. The plant, based in Rock Mount, is one of the largest sterile injectable facilities in the world, according to a statement on the company's website.
After video footage began to emerge on social media of the damage caused to the plant, comments emerged claiming it was a COVID vaccine warehouse.
The Claim
A tweet by user @GrahamAllen_1, posted on July 20, 2023, included a video of the damage caused to a Pfizer plant in North Carolina, following a tornado that hit the state.
The accompanying tweet stated: "Gods work?
"A Pfizer Warehouse Full of Covid Vaccines Was Just DESTROYED BY A TORNADO in North Carolina👀👀"
The Facts
As described by Pfizer, the Rocky Mount site produces nearly 25 percent of Pfizer's sterile injectables. These are drugs produced in sterile environments, using a sterile process throughout, which are then placed in a vial to be injected.
Pfizer adds the products produced at Rocky Mount include "anesthesia, analgesia, therapeutics, anti-infectives, and neuromuscular blockers."
It added: "These products are available in small volume presentations, such as ampules, vials and syringes."
However, the claim that the plant was a "warehouse full of Covid vaccines" appears to be presented without evidence and, as confirmed to Newsweek, it is also incorrect.
A spokesperson told Newsweek that the Rocky Mount site "did not manufacture or store any product related to our COVID-19 vaccine."
A statement released by Pfizer read: "We can confirm that the Pfizer Rocky Mount facility was damaged by the tornado,
"Pfizer colleagues at the site followed our established safety protocol and were able to evacuate.
"They are safe and accounted for. We are assessing the situation to determine the impact on production.
"Our thoughts are with our colleagues, our patients, and the community as we rebuild from this weather incident."
In short, the facility is not a COVID vaccine warehouse as the tweet claimed, as updates on the impact of the damage caused by the tornado continue.
The Raleigh office of the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that damage caused in North Carolina was "consistent" with an EF-3 tornado and wind speeds of 150 mph.
The EF-3 rating classifies the North Carolina tornado on Wednesday afternoon as "severe," according to the NWS, which notes that the Enhanced Fujita scale estimates maximum wind speeds reached within a tornado by analyzing the level of damage inflicted. EF-3 storms pack wind speeds from 136 mph to 165 mph.
The Ruling
False.
As a Pfizer spokesperson told Newsweek, the plant in North Carolina "did not manufacture or store any product related to our COVID-19 vaccine."
The claim shared on Twitter was presented without evidence.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
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