COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE
MICROCHIPS , MAGNETS AND SHEDDING :
Here Are 5 ( Debunked ) Covid Vaccine Conspiracy Theories Spreading Online
Jemima McEvoy , Forbes Staff • Business June 2021
Despite efforts from social media platforms and top health officials to combat disinformation , conspiracy theories about the coronavirus vaccine continue to spread rapidly across the internet — here ’ s a look at some of the recurring falsehoods threatening the U . S .’ s inoculation drive .
— KEY FACTS —
That the vaccine includes a microchip , a wild conspiracy theory stemming from years of baseless misrepresentation of Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates ’ vaccine advocacy efforts as a cover for establishing a global surveillance system that has continued to resurface with new and easily disproven claims , including that people can use magnets to identify the microchips in their arms .
That the vaccine alters your DNA , a claim that has circulated on social media since last year — based on multiple pseudoscientific posts and statements falsely attributed to Moderna ’ s chief medical officer — that experts have debunked as a fundamental misunderstanding of mRNA vaccines , which do not change a person ’ s DNA .
That the vaccine can be “ shed ” from one person to another , a claim that gained enough prominence through boosts from popular anti-vaccine activists that it prompted a Miami school to ask vaccinated teachers to keep their distance from students and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) to specify shedding can only occur when a vaccine contains a “ live virus ,” which the approved Covid-19 vaccines don ’ t .
That the vaccine is causing Covid-19 variants , a falsehood that picked up steam in May after Nobel-prize winning French virologist Luc Montagnier ( a past participant in anti-vaccination protests ) insisted in an interview “ vaccination is creating new variants ,” a claim other medical experts have deemed unscientific and “ completely bonkers ” as variants occur randomly and independently of vaccinations .
That the vaccine has already led to a large number of deaths , a claim buoyed by prominent conservatives including Fox News ’ Tucker Carlson and Sen . Ron Johnson ( R-Wisc .) that is based on the thousands of deaths listed on the CDC ’ s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System ( VAERS ), though the database does not display verified information and the CDC has reported “ no causal link ” between the listed deaths and the Covid-19 vaccine .
— CRUCIAL QUOTE —
On Thursday morning , CDC Director Dr . Rochelle Walensky debunked a new and bizarre claim originating from TikTok that the
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine makes recipients Bluetooth connectable . “ That ’ s ridiculous ,” she told CBS “ This Morning ’ s ” Gale King . “ We ’ re not being injected with chips . What we ’ re being injected with is this incredible scientific breakthrough that keeps us safe .”
— KEY BACKGROUND —
Persistent online disinformation has been an obstacle throughout the U . S .’ s vaccine rollout and becomes increasingly critical as federal and state governments labor to meet President Biden ’ s goal of having 70 % of adults inoculated by July 4 . Polling has revealed concern about vaccine side effects , including unproven claims the virus causes infertility , along with a general lack of trust in the shot are among the most common reasons people say they haven ’ t yet gotten the vaccine . Despite crackdowns on misinformation by social media sites , reports highlight that many falsehoods go unmoderated and spread easily across different platforms .
— BIG NUMBER —
16 million . That ’ s how many pieces of content violating their Covid-19 and vaccine policies Facebook and Instagram say they have removed since the beginning of the pandemic .
Summer 2021 I vyL eaf ® 63