Fact check: Did Obama urge Africans not to take COVID-19 vaccine from US

New Delhi, Jan 11: A message claiming former US president, Barack Obama has urged Africans not to take the vaccines against COVID-19 coming from America and Europe has gone viral.

Barack Obama is asking Africans not to accept the vaccines that will come from America and Europe... Barack Obama: I'll be an accomplice if I don't denounce this evil act white people want to do to Africans, first of all I was born in America but I'm African blood, #NotoVaccine, the message says.

There is no such information that states Obama urged Africans not to take the vaccine. When a similar claim was made last year, Obama's spokesperson, Katie Hill said that he had not said this. He is pro-vaccination, she also said.

Moreover Obama had in December last tweeted, with COVID cases surging worse than ever, getting vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do. But until the vaccine is widely available, socially distancing and wearing masks will actually save even more lives, and alleviate the pressure on healthcare workers.

Hence the claim being made on the social media is fake.