On Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced in a press release that their vaccine candidate was more than 90 percent effective at preventing Covid-19 infection, based on initial results from their ongoing phase 3 clinical trial. The company expects to have applied for emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the end of November and could have as many as 50 million doses produces by the end of 2020.
This is tremendous news — and misinformation about it is already circulating on social media. According to research from VineSight, a slew of social Twitter accounts, including those of Donald Trump Jr. and Sen. Ted Cruz, are already questioning the timing of the results’ release just days after the presidential election. By midday, tweets pushing that narrative had racked up more than 20,000 shares. The researchers estimate that Donald Trump Jr.’s tweet alone could have been seen by nearly 7 million people.
The dream of bringing a speedy end to the pandemic is a complicated one. Even when a vaccine does win initial FDA authorization in the United States, we should expect a lengthy period of “chaos and confusion,” one expert recently told the New York Times. Much of that disarray could play out on social media.
From the possibility of multiple vaccines to regionally distinct distribution plans to still-evolving research, the process of vaccine implementation is already stoking anxiety and misinformation. Since the pandemic began, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have faced pressure to combat conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccines. When one or more vaccines are ultimately offered to the public, the companies will also need to continue to promote accurate information about ever-evolving public health precautions. And they must act sooner rather than later to grapple with the task of communicating and moderating this next period of the pandemic, according to Jennifer Reich, who has studied vaccine hesitance at the University of Colorado Denver.
“This is not going to be magic,” Reich told Recode. “I think that the way the vaccine has been messaged has been like, ‘Just wait till we have a vaccine and then we can all go back to life as normal.’ That’s probably not a realistic expectation.”
Public health and social media experts told Recode that social media companies should expect anti-vaccination communities to use social media to capitalize on peoples’ understandable concerns about a potential Covid-19 vaccine. At the same time, many will be confused and frustrated at the distribution of the vaccine, and some may be angry when they see others getting a vaccine before they do. That will come amid conspiracy theories and other misinformation that has already spread about potential Covid-19 vaccines.
Basically, it could be a very, very complicated mess.
Top Image Credit: Envato/Amanda Scott
Post by Amanda Scott, NA CEO. Follow her on twitter @tantriclens
Thanks to Heinz V. Hoenen. Follow him on twitter: @HeinzVHoenen
News
Antibody engineering drives innovation in drug development
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used to prevent, detect, and treat a broad spectrum of non-communicable and communicable diseases. Over the past few years, the market for mAbs has grown exponentially with an expected compound [...]
Breakthrough Study Reveals How Bladder Cancer Starts and Spreads
Researchers found that DNA mutations from antiviral enzymes and chemotherapy fuel early bladder cancer, while abnormal circular DNA in tumor cells drives resistance to therapy. These discoveries open new therapeutic avenues. A groundbreaking study led by [...]
AI and Quantum Mechanics Accelerate Drug Discovery
A recent article published in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling researchers at Southern Methodist University (SMU) have developed SmartCADD, an open-source virtual tool designed to speed [...]
Targeting ‘undruggable’ diseases: Researchers reveal new levels of detail in targeted protein degradation
Researchers at the University of Dundee have revealed in the greatest detail yet the workings of molecules called protein degraders which can be deployed to combat what have previously been regarded as "undruggable" diseases, [...]
Revolutionizing Virology: AI Discovers Over 160,000 New RNA Viruses
Largest discovery of new virus species sheds light on the hidden virosphere. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to reveal details of a diverse and fundamental branch of life living right under our feet and in every [...]
Cardiac Crisis: COVID-19 Doubles Risk of Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Death
Research indicates that COVID-19 survivors face doubled risks of severe cardiac events for years after recovery, especially if hospitalized. People with A, B, or AB blood types are particularly vulnerable, highlighting the need for personalized approaches [...]
AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins
For long periods of its history, artificial intelligence has lurked in the hinterland of science, often unloved and unfunded—but two Nobel prizes in one week suggest its time in the sunshine has finally arrived. [...]
MIT Scientists Shed New Light on the Critical Brain Connections That Define Consciousness
A new study provides further evidence that consciousness depends on communication between the brain’s sensory and cognitive regions in the cortex. Our brains are constantly making predictions about our surroundings, enabling us to focus [...]
Common Chemicals Found in Shampoo and Plastic Could Be Quietly Disrupting Your Heart’s Rhythm
UC study of Fernald data links environmental phenols to heart toxicities Environmental phenols are present in numerous everyday consumer products, serving as preservatives in packaged foods, parabens in shampoos, and bisphenol A (BPA) in [...]
Revolutionary Brain Tech Offers New Hope for Stroke and Injury Recovery
University of Pittsburgh researchers report that deep brain stimulation (DBS) can effectively enhance motor functions in individuals with arm and hand paralysis due to brain injuries, with promising results from early human and monkey [...]
NIH Scientists Discover Gene Responsible for Rare Eye Disease
Findings supported by the NIH pave the way for the development of genetic testing, clinical trials, and therapies. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators have discovered a gene linked to certain [...]
Alzheimer’s Breakthrough: Synthetic THC Pill Proves Effective in Clinical Trial
Patients tolerated synthetic THC (dronabinol) well, without the adverse effects commonly associated with existing Alzheimer’s agitation medications. A study conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine found that a pill form [...]
The Future of Rare Disease Treatment with Precision Medicine
Understanding rare diseases Rare diseases affect less than 5 people out of 10,000. However, this still amounts to about 7% of the world’s population, with over 10,000 such conditions. Almost all are genetic in [...]
Doctors issue warning for upcoming ‘tripledemic
The term ‘tripledemic’ has hit headlines this week as the NHS begins its Covid and fluvaccine roll-out for vulnerable adults. As the cold weather sets in, many of us have experienced a decline in health, and this may [...]
The FDA approved a gel that can stop bleeding from wounds in seconds
Aug 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Cresilon's gel to quickly control bleeding, the privately held company said on Thursday, potentially giving emergency medical technicians and combat medics a [...]
High levels of microplastics found in prostate tumors, possibly linked to take-out food
The presence of microplastics in prostate tumors points to potential health risks, and researchers are calling for urgent studies to explore how take-out food may be driving this exposure. In a recent study published [...]