Myths about COVID-19 vaccination

--- title: Myths about COVID-19 vaccination tags: live-v0.1.2, misinformation permalink: https://c19vax.scibeh.org/pages/misinfo_myths --- {%hackmd GHtBRFZdTV-X1g8ex-NMQg %} # Myths about COVID-19 vaccination :::warning This page is about misinformation specific to the COVID-19 vaccines. For misinformation about vaccines in general, visit [this page](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/pages/misinfo_antivax). ::: [TOC] ## Where does misinformation come from? YouTube has been a significant source of misleading information during previous public health crises, including the Ebola and Zika outbreaks ([Li et al., 2020](http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002604)). In March of 2020, a search of YouTube revealed that more than one quarter of the most-viewed videos contained misinformation, whereas videos from reputable sources remained underrepresented ([Li et al., 2020](http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002604)). :::info An in-depth scholarly analysis of how misinformation and other attributes of the online environment, and how it challenges citizens in a democracy can be found in [Kozyreva et al. (2020)](https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1529100620946707). A detailed report on the overarching relationship between technology and democracy that was prepared for the European Commission can be [found here](https://sks.to/techdem). ::: A quantitative analysis of the COVID-19 "infodemic" has shown that unreliable information predominated online before infections started rising in February and March 2020, but was then replaced by reliable information and content shifted towards more reliable sources ([Gallotti et al., 2020](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-00994-6)). Unfortunately, misinformation about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccinations is sometimes also spread for political reasons. We explore this aspect in a separate page on the [politics of COVID-19 vaccinations](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/pages/misinfo_politics). ## Facts against common myths ### FACT: The AstraZeneca vaccine is considered safe by the WHO and the EMA *MYTH: The Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine is unsafe because it causes blood clots* Several European countries suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in mid-March, citing an increased incidence of rare forms of blood clots in some people who had been vaccinated. For example, on Monday (15 March 2021), the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) in Germany [reported 7 cases](https://www.pei.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/newsroom/meldungen/faq-temporaere-aussetzung-astrazeneca.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2) of a specific form of severe cerebral venous thrombosis associated with platelet deficiency (thrombocytopenia) in people who had been vaccinated. Because that number, while small, was statistically greater than expected, the PEI recommended a suspension. Later that week, after reviewing all available data, the European Medicines Agency [reaffirmed its support](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYmP02SIQNI) for the AstraZeneca vaccine, stating that although they cannot rule out a link between the vaccine and reported blood clotting events, a causal relationship is highly unlikely given that the rate of blood clot events reported in connection with the vaccine were lower overall than the rate in the overall population. Similarly, the [WHO Europe continued to recommend](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-who-europe/who-europe-urges-countries-to-keep-using-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-idUSKBN2BA14G) use of the vaccine on 18 March to save lives. With a few exceptions, European countries have followed the EMA and WHO recommendations and have resumed vaccinations. As flagged last week, the latest revisions by various health authorities (EMA statement here) on the safety of the Astra Zeneca vaccine have poured fuel on the flames of disinformation regarding the safety of vaccines. This effect was compounded further following similar blood clotting concerns for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the pause in its roll out. As predicted these revisions and pauses have encouraged unverified sources making the usual set of claims about dangers of vaccines including deaths, suppressed official information about vaccine dangers, gene altering mRNA, gene altering mRNA as part of great reset. A new and equally concerning vaccine danger narrative has emerged claiming vaccines will make you more susceptible to certain vaccine strains such as the South African variant. As with many other such developments in vaccine efficacy, Israel is claimed to be the source of this unfortunate news with unverified accounts of suppressed reports claiming that the Pfizer vaccine puts patients at greater risk of variants. This week EMA announced that there may be a possible link between blood clot events and Astra Zeneca vaccination. The UK has also advised against the under-30s taking the vaccine. These fresh doubts will likely bolster anti vaccination mis- and disinformation that was already capitalising on the doubts circulating prior to EMA’s first press conference. ### FACT: The AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective for all age groups *MYTH: The Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine has 8% efficacy among the over 65s* The AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective, and millions of people around the world—and in particular in the UK—have taken it. A [recent study (3 March 2021)]( https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3796835) found a single shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine to be 80% effective in elderly, frail patients. Nonetheless, contrary to those research findings, there has been an outbreak of public skepticism in several European countries about the AstraZeneca vaccine, to the point where between 20% and 25% of Europeans would refuse the vaccine and demand an alternative, according to a recent (7 March 2021) [YouGov poll](https://yougov.co.uk/topics/international/articles-reports/2021/03/07/extent-damage-astrazeneca-vaccines-perceived-safet). In Britain, by contrast, people embrace the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the AstraZeneca vaccine to an equal—and increasing—extent, according to the [same poll]( https://yougov.co.uk/topics/international/articles-reports/2021/03/07/extent-damage-astrazeneca-vaccines-perceived-safet). Why are people in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain more hesitant to embrace the AstraZeneca vaccine? This appears to be the result of an unfortunate combination of outright misinformation and misinterpretation of an—otherwise well-intentioned—decision by the German national vaccine committee. The outright misinformation was published by the German newspaper Handelsblatt (a publication roughly equivalent to the Financial Times) on 29 January 2021, in an [article that claimed that the efficacy of the vaccine in people over 65 was only 8%]( https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/pandemie-bekaempfung-corona-impfstoff-diskussion-um-wirksamkeit-von-astra-zeneca-vakzin-bei-senioren/26849788.html?ticket=ST-12695425-b5nkzQgPAxaCV5L9Lqzc-ap6). This figure was incorrect, as shown in an [analysis published by the British Medical Journal]( https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n414) (theBMJ), but it soon spread around the world. The false information coincided with an initial decision by the German national vaccine committee (28 January 2021) to [limit approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under 65]( https://www.pharmazeutische-zeitung.de/astra-zeneca-vakzine-nur-fuer-juengere-123351/). The German committee instead recommended use of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for people 65 and over. This decision did not imply that the German vaccination commission believed the AstraZeneca vaccine to be ineffective. At the time of the initial decision, the AstraZeneca trial (described on our [fact page here]( https://hackmd.io/@scibehC19vax/c19vaxfacts#The-Oxford-AstraZeneca-vaccine)) had included relatively few elderly people. As our team member, [Professor Adam Finn explained in the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/26/should-we-worry-about-claims-astrazeneca-jab-has-8-efficacy-in-over-65s): >“Elderly people were recruited to the UK phase 3 relatively late and were relatively well shielded, so there were few cases of Covid that had occurred at the time of submission of data to MHRA for approval.” But few people does not mean low effectiveness: the two numbers have nothing to do with each other. However, having few participants does translate into greater uncertainty. Thus, the German vaccination commission simply argued that in the presence of alternatives that are known to work for over-65s (because the trials for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, for example, included more elderly participants), the AstraZeneca vaccine should be preferentially administered to younger people where its efficacy had been established. Accordingly, the German vaccination commission updated its recommendation on 4 March 2021, and is now [recommending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for all age groups](https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Kommissionen/STIKO/Empfehlungen/AstraZeneca-Impfstoff.html). The [European Medicines Agency had already approved](https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-recommends-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-authorisation-eu) the AstraZeneca vaccine for all age groups on 29 January 2021. Other misinformation narratives around the safety of COVID vaccines include those made by unverified sources on behalf of the notorious infowars host [Alex Jones, claiming that he is saying](https://www.newswars.com/watch-live-covid-lockdowns-will-never-stop-unless-the-people-wake-up/) that scientific data on brain damage from vaccination has been suppressed. As far back as 2018 fact checkers have been contesting [Alex Jones’s scepticism](https://www.vaccineconfidence.org/latest-news/usa-alex-jones-top-10-health-claims-and-why-they-are-wrong) on vaccines. ### FACT: The AstraZeneca vaccine is perfectly safe for muslim communities *MYTH: the AstraZeneca vaccine contains pork There has been concern that uptake of vaccines among muslim communities maybe jeapordised by stories claiming vaccines contain non-halal ingredients such as pork. In Indonesia this sparked a controversy after Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council, the Indonesia Ulema Council, said on its website that the vaccine is “haram” (banned) because the manufacturing process uses “trypsin from the pork pancreas.” Nevertheless, AstraZeneca’s Indonesia spokesman Rizman Abudaeri said in a statement: “At all stages of the production process, this virus vector vaccine does not use nor come in contact with pork-derived products or other animal products.” In the UK concerns on the uptake of the vaccine by BAME and Muslim communities have been raised since the start of the year as misinformation spread among the social networks of faith groups. ### FACT: It takes two doses and time for the vaccine to reach its maximum efficacy *MYTH: The vaccine doesn't prevent people from getting COVID* As we show on our [fact page](https://hackmd.io/@scibehC19vax/c19vaxfacts#The-Pfizer-BioNTech-vaccine), the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine takes two doses and time for immunity to build up to reach the full efficacy of 95%. Indeed, the data show that for 10 days after the first dose, the vaccination group did not differ from the placebo group---it was only after those 10 days that the vaccine group developed partial immunity, and only after the second shot 21 days later that it reached its full efficacy. It is therefore unsurprising that when many people are vaccinated, _some_ will be infected with COVID-19 after the first shot. This has happened in Israel, where [2,000,000 people had been vaccinated](https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-data-shows-50-reduction-in-infections-14-days-after-first-vaccine-shot/) by the middle of January 2021. Unfortunately, [4,500 people contracted COVID-19](https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/294794) after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and [based on hospitalization data](https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/294794) it appears that most of those were infected during the first week after the shot. ### FACT: Sadly, old, frail, and vulnerable people sometimes die *MYTH: "Vaccines are killing people in Norway/Gibraltar/UK"* If we vaccinate 10 million people and the vaccine _had no side effects whatsoever_, then over the following two months [we can nonetheless expect that](https://sks.to/c19vax): * 4,025 of those vaccinated will have a heart attack. * 3,975 will have a stroke. * 9,500 will have a new diagnosis of cancer. * 14,000 will, unfortunately, die. Each death is a tragedy. But is the tragedy due to the COVID-19 vaccine, if the person who died has previously received the vaccine? There have been repeated rumors circulating on social media about a series of deaths from the vaccine. In all cases, those rumors were based on partial knowledge, distortion of events, or lack of awareness of statistics. We expect those rumors to continue to emerge and to remain baseless every time. The Social Observatory for Disinformation and Social Media Analysis ([SOMA](https://www.disinfobservatory.org/covid-19-vaccines-and-related-deaths-a-journey-through-european-disinformation-narratives/)) reports that these stories take two forms: The first create fictional cases of people immediately dying after taking a vaccine, while the second points to real deaths following vaccination but misrepresents the circumstances of the deaths and thereby confuses correlation and causation. Here are some rebuttals of the most common myths: * In February 2021, it was reported that 15 elderly people in the Netherlands died following their vaccinations, and it was [later clarified](https://nltimes.nl/2021/02/08/fifteen-elderly-died-within-days-receiving-covid-19-vaccination) that they suffered from underlying health conditions or died due to medical complications. This showcases the confusion between correlation and causation: compare this to a base rate of 200 nursing home residents who die from COVID-19 out of an average of 750-800 weekly nursing home deaths. * In late January 2021, it was claimed that 53 people in Gibraltar died after receiving the vaccine. This number [is wrong and seems to refer to the total number of deaths](https://fullfact.org/online/gibraltar-covid-vaccine/) from COVID-19 reported by the government. Although 6 people have died who have received the vaccine in Gibraltar, these were mainly elderly carehome residents (aged 70 to 100) who appear to have contracted COVID-19 before their vaccination. [None of the deaths were linked to the vaccine](https://fullfact.org/online/gibraltar-covid-vaccine/). * In January 2021, up to 33 Norwegians died "after receiving the vaccine." Those who died were all older than 75 years and they included terminally ill patients anticipated to have only weeks or months to live (i.e., palliative care had already been initiated). These deaths have been extensively investigated [by the WHO](https://www.who.int/news/item/22-01-2021-gacvs-review-deaths-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-bnt162b2) and other health agencies, which concluded that the deaths could not be attributed to the vaccine, and that the risk-benefit balance in the elderly [favours the vaccine](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-18/what-to-know-about-vaccine-related-deaths-allergies-quicktake). Given that the deaths in Norway represented less than 1 in 10,000 of a highly vulnerable population, whereas the death rate from COVID-19 among the elderly can be as high as 1 in 20 or 1 in 10, the risk from the vaccine was 1,000 times _lower_ than the risk from the disease. On average, [400 people die each week](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/norway-vaccine-deaths/) in nursing homes and long-term care facilities in Norway. On 29 January 2021 the European Medicines agency [released an updated report on the side effects](https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/covid-19-vaccine-safety-update/covid-19-vaccine-safety-update-comirnaty-january-2021_en.pdf) of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which also concluded after detailed review that the deaths in Norway were not connected to vaccinations. ### FACT: Safety syringes retract after an injection *MYTH: "Video proves that Kamala Harris never got the vaccine shot"* Needles are sharp (obviously!) and can cause injury to healthcare professionals. To avoid that possibility, injections are now often administered using [safety syringes](https://retractable.com/Products) that retract automatically once the plunger handle is fully depressed. This safety feature virtually eliminates exposure to the needle and thus risk of injury. You can watch a [manufacturer's video here](https://youtu.be/wC-uXq3uUdQ) that shows how the needle is automatically retracted once the injection has been delivered. A [patent for retractable needles](https://www.newsguardtech.com/special-report-top-covid-19-vaccine-myths/#syringes) was granted nearly 30 years ago, in 1992. Numerous politicians have been filmed while they were being vaccinated, including Kamala Harris. You can [watch the video here](https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-kamala-harris-covid-vaccina/fact-check-footage-shows-kamala-harris-receiving-covid-19-vaccination-idUSKBN29A2K7). Conspiracy theorists unfamiliar with safety syringes have latched onto the "disappearing syringes" to spin nonsense about those vaccinations being "staged". They were not staged, they were merely safe. ### FACT: COVID-19 vaccines have no impact on your fertility *MYTH: "Being vaccinated could make me infertile."* The myth that a COVID-19 vaccine could cause infertility arose on a blog with a long history of promoting conspiracy theories and misinformation. It is based on the idea that the vaccine works by triggering an immune response to a [spike protein](https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-are-Spike-Proteins.aspx) on the surface of the coronavirus. It is correct that a spike protein helps the virus enter cells, and it [is also one of the ways the human body recognises a virus and knows to let its immune cells attack it](https://fullfact.org/health/vaccine-covid-fertility/). However, this has nothing to do with fertility. The [guidance published by the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists and the British Fertility Society](https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n509) confirms that there is absolutely no evidence, and no theoretical reason, that any of the vaccines can affect the fertility of women or men. The myth was created based on the fact that there is overlap between a small number of component of the spike protein in the virus and in a placental protein. However, the overlap is too short to plausibly affect fertility. Indeed, if the virus was related to fertility, COVID-19 should affect the outcome of pregnancies, [which has not been observed](https://factcheck.afp.com/covid-19-vaccine-not-shown-cause-female-sterilization). Further rebuttals can be found at [Fullfact](https://fullfact.org/health/vaccine-covid-fertility/) and [Snopes](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/covid-vaccine-female-sterilization/?mc_cid=639a39a608&mc_eid=38e9f8ee6f), and in a particularly interesting and readable [article in _The Conversation_](https://theconversation.com/covid-19-vaccines-do-not-make-women-infertile-153550). Since the emergence of new narratives about the Moderna vaccine last week featuring distorted accounts of testing the safety of the vaccine for children, we have seen an increase in scare stories about sinister experiments on children. While the initial round of these stories misrepresented the normal process of testing vaccine safety on minors, the latest round of stories takes the narrative in extreme directions with claims about experiments on foetuses. We have seen attempts to link anti-vaccination sentiment to religious concerns with stories about vaccines leading to miscarriages, playing on anti-abortion sentiments. This latest variant pushes in a similar direction with an unverified source even publishing a supposed sermon by an Italian priest on the link between abortions and vaccination. ### FACT: COVID-19 vaccines will not give you COVID-19 *MYTH: "The COVID-19 vaccine contains a live version of the virus, so you can actually get infected from the virus."* None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development or in use in the United States, contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. There are several different types of vaccines in development. However, the goal for each of them is to teach our immune systems how to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity. It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it is possible that a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection. [**Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work**](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/pages/c19vaxfacts) at our dedicated fact page. ### FACT: COVID-19 vaccines will not cause you to test positive on COVID-19 test *MYTH: "I heard that getting vaccinated causes you to test positive for COVID-19."* Neither the recently authorized and recommended vaccines nor the other COVID-19 vaccines currently in clinical trials in the United States cause you to test positive on viral tests, which are used to see if you have a current infection. If your body develops an immune response, which is the goal of vaccination, there is a possibility that you may test positive on some *antibody* tests. Antibody tests indicate you had a previous infection and that you may have some level of protection against the virus. However, the presence of antibodies is different altogether from having the disease itself. Experts are currently looking at how COVID-19 vaccination may affect antibody testing results. [**Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work**](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/pages/c19vaxfacts) at our dedicated fact page. ### FACT: People who have gotten sick with COVID-19 may still benefit from getting vaccinated *MYTH: "If you've already had COVID-19 and recovered, there's no point getting vaccinated."* Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people may be advised to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before. At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long. We will not know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until we have more data on how well it works. Both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity are important aspects of COVID-19 that experts are trying to learn more about. [**Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work**](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/pages/c19vaxfacts) at our fact page. ### FACT: Getting vaccinated can help prevent getting sick with COVID-19 *MYTH: "There's no point getting vaccinated if there's still a chance that a vaccinated person can get COVID-19."* While many people with COVID-19 have only a mild illness, others may get a severe illness or they may even die. There is no way of knowing aheado of time how COVID-19 will affect you, even if you are not at increased risk of severe complications. COVID-19 vaccinations help protect you by creating an antibody response without having to experience the sickness itself. [**Learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work**](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/pages/c19vaxfacts) at our fact page. ### FACT: Receiving an mRNA vaccine will not alter your DNA *MYTH: "mRNA vaccines like those from Pfizer and Moderna modify human DNA."* *mRNA* stands for *messenger ribonucleic acid* and can be most easily described as instructions to your cells for how to make a protein or even just a piece of a protein. mRNA is not able to alter or modify a person’s genetic makeup (DNA). The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA are kept. This means the mRNA does not affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA work with the body's natural defenses to safely develop protection (immunity) to disease.  As explained in the [CDC website](https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/moderna/moderna-faqs.html): > COVID-19 mRNA vaccines give instructions for our cells to make a harmless piece of what is called the “spike protein.” The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. > > COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are given in the upper arm muscle. Once the instructions (mRNA) are inside the immune cells, the cells use them to make the protein piece. After the protein piece is made, the cell breaks down the instructions and gets rid of them. > > Next, the cell displays the protein piece on its surface. Our immune systems recognize that the protein doesn’t belong there and begin building an immune response and making antibodies, like what happens in natural infection against COVID-19. > > At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to protect against future infection. The benefit of mRNA vaccines, like all vaccines, is those vaccinated gain this protection without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19. **The _Snopes_ site has [another fact check of the false claim: "mRNA vaccines can alter your DNA"](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mrna-alter-dna)** As indicated by a group of independent experts whose opinions were gathered recently in [metafact](https://metafact.io/factchecks/1716), the COVID-19 mRNA-type vaccines (produced by Pfizer and Moderna) are as safe as any vaccine normally is. In fact, * the mRNA vaccines are unable to get someone sick with COVID-19 since they are not 'live' vaccines and they only contain [one protein from the 25 needed to produce the whole virus](https://metafact.io/factcheck_answers/3202). * The mRNA vaccine technology is not new. mRNA vaccines have been tried out since the early 1990s, with countless rounds of troubleshooting, trial-and-error, and small steps of progress. The COVID-19 vaccine is the culmination of a 30-year scientific endeavour. * All the short-term side-effects seen so far in response to a COVID-19 vaccination are expected and well within the normal bodily reactions of the immune system being activated. We provide more information about [side effects on our dedicated page](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/pages/sideeffects). ### FACT: Being gay is fab, but the COVID-19 vaccine will not change your sexual orientation *MYTH: An Iranian cleric suggested people who have been vaccinated are homosexuals (Because they have microchips and they have been genetically modified)* Err, [no](https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-iran-cleric-coroavirus-gay/31094316.html). Lest you think only Iranian clerics have unparalleled ideas about medicine, remember that an _American_ conservative news compendium site called WorldNetDaily proposed in 2006 that [tofu makes people turn gay](https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/morford/article/Tofu-Will-Make-You-Gay-This-just-in-Soy-will-2658362.php). What [tofu](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-tofu) and vaccinations really have in common is that they are good for your health. ### FACT: We are not in a dystopian novel and vaccine "passports" are not a prelude to sanitary facism MYTH: vaccine passports will lead to an authortarian turn by national governments. One unverified source goes as far to label the EU ‘big brother’ following the introduction of the green digital certificate. This week we have seen an escalation of this paranoid logic, with more extreme variants than seen hitherto. One unverified source claims that ‘vaccine passports’ will be a prelude to ‘sanitary fascism’. The most dangerous escalation in these variants however comes in the form of narratives that connect with other elements of the vaccine conspiracy ecosystem. For example we have already seen disturbing stories about Covid-19 and vaccination as a global experiment or even an attempt at population control. Bringing together these two narratives, disinformation actors are now producing stories that claim vaccine passports are part of these disturbing vision with ‘vaccination passports’ as ‘prelude to an extermination event’. This tendency to combine and thereby multiply different disinformation strands seems to be an emerging tactic of disinformation actors. There has been a further spike in conspiracy-related ‘vaccine passport’ stories. The announcement of the EU’s digital ‘green’ certificate triggered a similar spike some weeks ago. This week’s wave appears to be a reaction to proposals in the UK and US where the topic has recently been a subject of debate following similar proposals for vaccine certification. Conspiracy narratives from the last week have predominantly been in English and addressed to non-European audiences, but feature the same themes touched on previously. Vaccine passports are painted as part of a totalitarian effort to impose mass surveillance and control on societies, with suggestions of apartheid between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not. Other narratives have also suggested that certificates will create a Chinese style system of social surveillance. One concerning example is the emergence of a previously mainstream figure, Naomi Wolf, as a proponent of such theories. Wolf is a celebrated author, with her bestseller ‘The Beauty Myth” enjoying a wide readership on both sides of the Atlantic. This week she made a number of appearances on unverified American sources claiming that liberty in the west was in danger due to the introduction of ‘vaccination passports’. Unverified European sources have picked up on these claims, using Wolf’s celebrity status to bolster their own claims, with examples spotted in Swedish media. As previously reported, these narratives are part of both the conspiracy ecosystem, as well as the anti-lockdown narrative ecosystem that has also slowly been building in recent weeks. [insert title about Sputnik V/ big pharma] Although not as prevalent as conspiracy theories about figures such as Bill Gates or the World Economic forum, stories about the role of big pharma have nonetheless persisted throughout the pandemic. This week saw President Putin make a comment that Sputnik V has yet to be approved in Europe because the EU is protecting western big pharma. Putin allegedly even implied that big pharma has successfully lobbied the EU for the sake of their vaccines. Russia Today quotes Putin as saying , “the question arises – whose interests are protected and represented by these kinds of people? The interests of some pharmaceutical companies or citizens of European countries? What do they do? Lobbying?”. This claim was also repeated on RT’s French language channels as well as an unverified Italian language source. Sputnik V’s twitter account has for some time been insinuating that the EU has been unfairly biased against the vaccine due to ulterior motives, even criticising Commissioner Breton as ‘biased’ against the vaccine. However this is the first time we see this line on big pharma’s influence coming from the Russian media ecosystem. We have however reported on anti capitalist strands of the big pharma lobbying narrative in the past, many of which connect with conspiracy theories about commericial interests engineering the pandemic. This week fresh unverified sources claimed that the EU is obeying the wishes of western pharmaceutical conglomerates by supposedly attacking Sputnik V. Other sources claim that the pandemic is a giant experiment aimed to tilt the economy in favour of big tech and big pharma and even that the EMA is a lobbying organization for big pharma. The way in which these big pharma stories bridge pro Sputnik V and anti EU stories is cause for concern and deserves further monitoring in coming weeks. This narrative also creates a negative impression of existing vaccines with recent Twitter stirrings against Pfizer with users suspecting profiteering out of the need for more booster shots to protect against new variants. sources claim that Sputnik V has been blocked by the EU due to fears that Sputnik V will outcompete western vaccines. This new narrative appears to be part of the ongoing backlash against Commissioner Breton’s comment last month that the EU does not need Sputnik V. One RT article on this competition narrative insinuates that the Commissioner’s comment is part of an effort by the EU to actively discredit Sputnik V. The article even quotes a supposed statement by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service warning about alleged EU attempts to discredit Sputnik V. This new narrative about competition between vaccines? may be part of a coordinated push as the same line has been repeated in multiple EU languages on RT and Sputnik sites, including French, German, Polish Spanish and Italian As part of its standard GCP (Good Clinical Practice) review, EMA is investigating Sputnik V’s clinical trials. The FT reported that there are doubts about the ethical standards of Sputnik V’s data collection. Sputnik V’s Twitter account has railed against the suggestion, claiming bias against Russian vaccines. As this plays into the victimisation narrative and EMA this story needs to be monitored. Germany’s decision to enter into talks to buy Sputnik V (if it receives a positive recommendation by EMA) is likely give ammunition to actors seeking to discredit the EU’s vaccination strategy, using Germany’s actions as evidence of the EU’s incompetence.  ## COVID-19 Fact checkers across the globe This [page](https://covid19misinfo.org/fact-checking/covid-19-fact-checkers/) provides links to all fact-checking organizations about COVID-19 around the globe. It is a rapid response project of the Ryerson Social Media Lab at Ted Rogers School of Management. The project is funded by the Government of Canada via the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The aim of this project is two-fold: (1) put a spotlight on COVID-19 related misinformation and (2) to provide Canadians with timely and actionable information that we all can use to protect ourselves and our community. ## Further misinformation resources provided by _Newsguard_ - [Top Covid-19 vaccine myths spreading online](https://www.newsguardtech.com/special-report-top-covid-19-vaccine-m) - [Top Covid-19 myths spreading online](https://www.newsguardtech.com/covid-19-myths) - [Covid-19 Misinformation Tracking Centre (updated daily)](https://www.newsguardtech.com/coronavirus-misinformation-tracking-center) - [Europe's top COVID-19 misinformation "super-spreaders" on Facebook](https://www.newsguardtech.com/facebook-super-spreaders-europe) - [Twitter's COVID-19 misinformation "super-spreaders"]( https://www.newsguardtech.com/twitter-super-spreaders) ## Disinformation resources provided by governments and the European Union - [European Commission's page against COVID-19 vaccination disinformation](https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/coronavirus-response/fighting-disinformation_en) - [1-page guide by the European Parliament to spotting disinformation](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_ATA(2017)599386) (in 25 languages) - [Information page by the Australian Government](https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccines-is-it-true) ## Video resources to rebut misinformation and encourage critical thinking * Dr John Cook's series of videos about [critical thinking about COVID](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1xbdG-NAkB2fbFElyylxfxO3TreX1rtM). First video in the series: {%youtube W7Zut_jPtqs %} * Dr Asher Williams debunking 12 common myths in just over 12 minutes: {%youtube MnEPqtwp3Uc %} For additional aids to debunking, visit our [further resources page](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/resources). ---- Page contributors: Stephan Lewandowsky, John Cook, Stefan Herzog {%hackmd GHtBRFZdTV-X1g8ex-NMQg %} {%hackmd TLvrFXK3QuCTATgnMJ2rng %} {%hackmd oTcI4lFnS12N2biKAaBP6w %}