Anti-Vaxxers (Inas Jabbar)
Fact-Checked Source:
Kiera Butler, "A Fake Pandemic”: Anti-Vaxxers Are Spreading Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories"
On March 24, 2020, MotherJones magazine columnist Kiera Butler published an article about the conspiracy theories spread by the anti-vaxxer community.Website Link
Five Facts Checked
People are engaging in extreme handwashing, disinfecting their houses with clorox, refusing handshakes and wearing masks. (Remember that viruses are extremely tiny, so wearing a mask is like building a chain link fence to keep out mice.)
I wanted to check this claim because it seems that this advice of washing hands, disinfecting, and wearing masks is the advice most given to the population. According to the world health organization, wearing a mask is effective when around other COVID-19 patients and when hands are washed before putting the mask on. Soap and warm water as well as alcohol also eliminated germs and bacteria on hands. Therefore, this fact is debunked and is false.
Like any virus, coronavirus is no match for someone with a strong immune system.
Although people with strong immune systems have a better chance of fighting off the virus, that does not mean they don't contract it at all. This fact was also debunked because there have been cases of young adults severely affected and some deaths as well.
“This page posts about vaccines. When it comes to health, everyone wants reliable, up-to-date information. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has information that can help answer questions you may have about vaccines.” But it doesn’t give any warnings about coronavirus misinformation.
I wanted to look into this fact because it is important that social media combats misinformation. This fact is true and Facebook does only give a warning about COVID-19. This seems to be dangerous because many people don't read warnings and therefore are affected by the misinformation.
It is a fact that fear and stress compromise the immune system
This was interesting too look at because I wanted to see if it is true that this quarantine could be decreasing the immune system. According to simplypsychology.org, this fact is true. Stress and fear deplete hormones that reduce the effectiveness of the immune system.
The coronavirus panic is just that, an irrational panic, based on an unproven RNA test, that has never been connected to a virus.
I wanted to check this fact because a lot of media has said that COVID-19 is just a mutation of the flu. However, this fact was debunked when patients were experiencing symptoms much more severe than the flu and completely different as well.
Analytical Essay
Fear Propaganda: The Anti-Vaxxer Community Perspective on COVID-19
It is fair to say that during a pandemic such as this, many people have their own opinions on how to resolve it considering everyone is involved in one way or another. As many different communities come together to take a stand and speak out about the COVID-19 pandemic, one specific group is still separating themselves from the herd when looking at the pandemic from a vaccine point of view. The anti-vaxxer community has had lots of influence on the outcomes of epidemics and pandemics across the globe. Research done by Barbara Pfeffer Billauer shows that the spread of false information by the anti-vaxxer community makes them “among the top five public health threats” (World Health Organization). However, should their viewpoint on this issue be ignored? From the perspective of the anti-vaxxer community, there are many reasons why they wouldn’t be pleased by a COVID-19 vaccine to be forced onto them, however, could this present risks to the population due to how misinformation can easily lead to mass hysteria?
The anti-vaxxer community has resulted in a lot of media attention through their spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. This started with the community claiming that the virus does not exist to begin with. According to a post by the Oregonians for Healthcare Choice, they claim that “the coronavirus panic is just that, an irrational panic, based on an unproven RNA test” (Oregonians for Healthcare Choice, 2020). This presents a risk to the population due to the fact that if they believe the virus is fake, they will ignore warnings of how to make this situation better like social distancing. They also claim that the virus is not as bad as how the media portrays it. Although social media should constantly be fact checked, if people do not believe what they write or discuss then the virus will only spread. This spread of misinformation will only cause harm rather than good. However, one must question why the anti-vaxxer community has such beliefs.
From the perspective of the anti-vaxxer community, it seems reasonable to not trust the vaccine that would be coming out of the CDC or any other government funded source. Their biggest argument stemming from their belief is that “you can’t rush to create a product you can inject into perfectly healthy people without doing proper safety studies” (Del Bigtree, 2020). According to Vice magazine, the anti-vaxxer community claims that the creation and production of the COVID-19 virus vaccine is being too rushed. It is skipping through the initial stages of validating a vaccine such as animal testing and going straight to human testing. This is an insanely high risk because vaccines could easily become deadly and have reactions that could result in fatal conditions and/or death. This is relevant not only to the anti-vaxxer community but also to the rest of the population. But even with a vaccine created as quickly as needed, is it possible to change their mindsets for the greater good?
As one mother told Vice magazine, this pandemic did not change her mind too much about being pro-healthcare choice, however, she would have her children vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. Her argument is not whether vaccines are bad or not, but whether she should be allowed to make that decision for her dependents. As Vermont Governor David Zuckerman argues, “it’s a question of whether the government should be forcing that onto individuals” (Zuckerman, 2018). Although this argument still holds true with much of the anti-vaxxer community, many, including Governor Zuckerman, agree that with a pandemic such as COVID-19 a vaccine seems to be the only solution.
Although a good number of the anti-vaxxer community is willing to set aside their differences during the COVID-19 pandemic and are willing to vaccinate once the vaccine emerges, a good other section still does not agree. The people that make up this part of the community continue to spread fake information and refuse to listen to the authority that is attempting to bring this pandemic to an end. How will this resistance affect the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic and how will it affect the people directly affected by it?