Public health authorities and social media companies are struggling to fight coronavirus misinformation, while trying to make sure enough Americans are vaccinated against coronavirus.
Health experts say at least 70 percent of the country needs to be vaccinated to get the herd’s immunity and completely crush the outbreak that killed more than 300,000 Americans.
National polls show that more and more Americans are willing to receive a coronavirus vaccine, but that some populations, especially people of color and Latino, are reluctant.
Federal officials are launching a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech that is 95 percent effective, and the Food and Drug Administration on Friday dropped a second vaccine from Moderna, which is nearly as effective in preventing COVID-19 cases.
“It would be awful, with an equally good tool, if people don’t use it.” Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciTrump stays out of the room because the vaccine is distributed Vaccination is not a complete response to COVID-19 Fauci urges Americans to “step on the plate” and be vaccinated MORE, the country’s chief doctor of infectious diseases, said in a December 15 NPR interview.
The reasons for skepticism vary. Some people have cited what they called the Trump administration’s politicization of a vaccine, despite officials’ denials that politics has played a role in rapid development.
Others rely on the past and present of American medicine with patients from minority groups.
“You have to acknowledge the historical mistakes that have been made. And then you have to explicitly address these concerns, “said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
Authorities must dispel legitimate concerns that make people hesitate, while stopping waves of deliberate misinformation from anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists.
Benjamin said that it is easier to address the concerns of people who hesitate, rather than those who believe and who often deal with conspiracy theories.
“You know, what do you do with a person who doesn’t think this disease exists? Some of those people will face reality when they, a family member or someone they know, get really sick. And you will never convince some of them “, said Benjamin.
Anti-vaccine communities have long been some of the most active and involved online, gathering in public and private spaces to share fakes about the risk of vaccinations.
These groups have been overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has eroded trust in traditional institutions and left millions with few options for social interaction beyond the internet.
Paul Barrett, deputy director of the Stern Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University, told The Hill that the biggest source of misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine is “transforming long-term anti-vaccine activists.”
“There is a considerable foundation that existed before anyone heard about COVID-19,” he explained. “These groups have been fully activated by the current crisis.”
The same mistrust in institutions that stimulated anti-vaccination communities has also led thousands to conspiracy theories.
QAnon, whose followers I believe President Trump
Donald Trump: Trump signs the bill to keep the government open amid US aid negotiations to close two trends of Russia’s consulate “Guardians of the Galaxy” on social media after the new name of the Space Force MORE working to expose a shadowy elite cabal in the media and the government that manages child and sex trafficking circles, has been a clear beneficiary of this slide towards conspiratorial thinking.
The rise of QAnon could complicate the herd’s immunity, as its supporters grow into lies about COVID-19 vaccines, such as that they are administered with a microchip to control and track citizens, or that Bill Gates is responsible for coronavirus.
“These conspiracy theories are wrong, but I’m very worried that they could get into the mainstream. And if we have people who will not be vaccinated, it makes it much harder for us to get the immunity of the herd through vaccination and therefore end the epidemic, ”said Leana Wen, a professor of public health at George Washington University who served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.
“So it’s a matter of life and death here,” Wen said.
Public health officials will also have to contend with a more widespread source of vaccine misinformation: conservative media and supporters of President Trump.
A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 42% of Republicans probably would not or would not be vaccinated against coronavirus.
Vice President Pence and his wife Karen were vaccinated live on television on Friday in an effort to eliminate the partisan division. But Trump was visibly absent.
Wen said it would be helpful for Trump to speak out and get the shot.
“There are many millions of Americans today for whom the most credible messenger is President Trump. And therefore, for President Trump to speak, correcting misinformation is really important, “Wen said.
Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the severity of the pandemic and mocked the use of masks to limit its spread.
According to a report by Cornell University, 38% of all articles containing misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic published between January 1 and May 26 presented Trump and a kind of misleading statement that he shared.
Congress members who support Trump have also said things that could discourage the use of vaccines.
Representative. Ken Buck
Kenneth (Ken) Robert BuckAntitrust, moderating content to dominate technology policy in 2021 Organizations push congressional leaders to prioritize technology antitrust report Technology rhetoric: a source of clarity or confusion? MORE (R-Colo.) He said he will not get the vaccine because he is “more concerned about the side effects of the vaccine than the disease” in an interview with Fox Business on Friday morning. His office later clarified that Buck believes those at risk should be “vaccinated immediately.”
The right-wing media was also a determining factor in the disinformation of the coronavirus. An analysis found that between February 1 and March 23, right-leaning outlets posted nearly 4,000 stories of defective information about the disease, while mass outlets had only 1,500.
Social platforms, one of the key vectors for health misinformation, have tried to eliminate misinformation.
Facebook earlier this month said it would begin removing posts with false claims about the “safety, efficacy, ingredients or side effects” of coronavirus vaccines.
Twitter earlier this week said it would start tagging and ask users to remove posts that “promote harmful, false or misleading narratives” about COVID-19 vaccinations. YouTube announced a similar policy in October.
Beyond just restricting existing misinformation about the coronavirus, Barrett said the platforms should work to increase information about vaccines from reliable sources. Many of them have already done so.
However, health experts have said that technology companies can go that far.
“If anyone has any doubts about the vaccines, I’m not sure what will change is a Facebook ad,” Wen said.
What matters is awareness.
“I think what might help them change their minds is to see their family members get the vaccine, their pastor talk about it, and see their fellow parishioners get the vaccine,” Wen said.