Footage of a local TV journalist suffering a medical emergency on air Sunday has prompted fresh conspiracy theories about the coronavirus vaccine.
Canadian TV reporter Jessica Robb said Monday she faced “overwhelming” harassment after she felt sick, strained to speak and became unsteady on her feet during a weekend live broadcast.
Robb, who works for CTV in Edmonton, was delivering a stand-up report Sunday when her speech stalled and her movements faltered.
In the footage, Robb can be seen breathing heavily as she responds to studio presenter Nahreman Issa, during the 6pm news. After a deep gulp of breath, she begins to confuse her words.
Robb tries to press on, repeating the same phrase several times before she says: “Sorry Nahreman, I’m not feeling very well right now and I’m about to…” She then makes an incoherent noise before Issa intervenes.
Just before the live feed is cut, Robb can be seen with her eyes beginning to droop as she stumbles on the spot. “She is not alone,” Issa then clarifies. “She is with photog[raphy] operators.”
“We will make sure that Jessica is OK, and we’ll give you guys an update a little bit later,” Issa told viewers.
A very scary situation. Canadian TV reporter Jessica Robb suffers a medical emergency live on the air. CTV Edmonton says she is “better”, and Robb says she is now “okay”, and has thanked everyone for their support. pic.twitter.com/9lfKXFNkp1
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) January 10, 2023
CTV Edmonton later said Robb “became ill” during the 6 p.m. newscast, but was “feeling better and is now resting.”
On Monday, Robb offered more insight while taking aim at unfounded speculation in a statement shared by the station on Twitter.
She said she “received an overwhelming amount of harassment and hatred, tied to false theories about the reason for the incident.”
“While I will not share private medical information publicly, I can say that there is no cause for concern and that my understanding of my own medical background provides a reasonable explanation for what happened,” she said.
“I can, however, confirm that the situation was in no way related to the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Here is her full statement:
A message from Jessica Robb: On Sunday night, a very personal and vulnerable moment unfolded as I reported live on air. pic.twitter.com/WbMNWhsoN7
— CTV Edmonton (@ctvedmonton) January 9, 2023
In early December, Atlanta Hawks broadcaster Bob Rathbun convulsed and fainted on the air, but returned to work a few weeks later.
sad and sickening and your politicians did this by forcing you to get the Bio Weapon