It's likely that the COVID misinformation being pushed by some posters on ET belongs on the list as well... COVID, vaccine misinformation spread by hundreds of websites, analysis finds https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...on-spread-websites-analysis-finds/5732789001/ More than 500 websites have promoted misinformation about the coronavirus – including debunked claims about vaccines, according to a firm that rates the credibility of websites. NewsGuard announced Wednesday that, of the more than 6,700 websites it has analyzed, 519 have published false information about COVID-19. Some of the sites publish dubious health information or political conspiracy theories, while others were "created specifically to spread misinformation about COVID-19," the company says on its website. "It's become virtually impossible for people to tell the difference between a generally reliable site and an untrustworthy site," Gordon Crovitz, co-founder of NewsGuard, told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview. "And that is why there is such a big business in publishing this information." The findings come as new daily COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths remain high across much of the country. About 53% of Americans have been fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Launched in spring 2018, NewsGuard employs experienced journalists to assess the credibility and transparency of the most popular news and information websites in the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. The firm publishes "nutrition labels" that tell users whether a source adheres to or violates journalistic standards. "We don't believe in blocking stuff and not letting people see things," said Steven Brill, co-founder of NewsGuard. "What we believe in is giving people information about what they're about to see so they can make their own decision." In its Wednesday release, NewsGuard also identified 50 of the top COVID-19 vaccine myths spreading online. They include debunked claims that the vaccines alter people's DNA, cause infertility or create new variants of the virus. "They're all hoaxes that have gained traction, and we know that because we see them spreading from website to website," said Matt Skibinski, NewsGuard's general manager. Of the sites on NewsGuard's list, 339 have an audience predominantly based in the U.S. Several of them, including InfoWars and Mercola.com, have a track record of promoting conspiracy theories and dubious health claims. Others try to dupe people by using domain names close to those of credible news outlets, such as WashingtonPosted.news and Ussanews.com, mimicking washingtonpost.com and USNews.com, respectively. Some of the websites NewsGuard identified have become more popular online than trustworthy sources of information about COVID-19. For example, anti-vaccine advocacy group Children's Health Defense has received more engagement in the past 90 days than the CDC and the National Institutes of Health, according to NewsGuard. The site, which is run by anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has previously cast doubt on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and promoted conspiracy theories about 5G technology. NewsGuard uses NewsWhip, a social media analytics firm, to measure engagement, which includes social media interactions and website traffic. Crovitz warned against underestimating the danger of websites that have published COVID-19 misinformation simply because they make up a relatively small portion of content. "We've rated all the news and information sources that account for 97% of engagement in the U.S. Of those, 7% are publishing COVID misinformation," Crovitz said. "That's as if 7% of all cereal boxes contained strychnine and the cereal companies said, 'Well, it's only 7%.'" NewsGuard's findings are the latest attempt to quantify misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic. A March report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a London-based nonprofit organization, found that a dozen accounts were responsible for 65% of the anti-vaccine misinformation spreading on Facebook and Twitter. NewsGuard has also identified "super-spreaders" of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Those kinds of reports have made waves in Washington, where lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at holding social media companies responsible for health misinformation. In July, White House press secretary Jen Psaki cited the 65% figure to criticize social media platforms' handling of COVID-19 misinformation. President Joe Biden said Facebook was "killing people" for allowing false information about the vaccines to spread, a statement he later softened. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said misinformation "is still spreading like wildfire in our country, aided and abetted by technology platforms." Biden later walked back his statement, and Facebook disputed the Center for Countering Digital Hate's findings. "Focusing on these 12 individuals misses the forest for the trees," Monika Bickert, vice president of content policy at Facebook, wrote in an August press release. "Since the beginning of the pandemic across our entire platform, we have removed over 3,000 accounts, pages and groups for repeatedly violating our rules against spreading COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation and removed more than 20 million pieces of content for breaking these rules." Still, websites that publish false claims about COVID-19 – partially funded by advertisers who may not know the nature of the site they're connected with – continue to get traction online. And public health officials say that could have an effect on the ongoing vaccine rollout. "What we've seen in the last 20 months is an erosion of trust, an erosion of science and an erosion of the truth," said Andy Pattison, team lead for digital channels at the World Health Organization's Digital Health and Innovation Department, which has partnered with NewsGuard since last year. "And I think that's really scary."
So the hospital system where the emergency room doctor currently works says his statement about ER beds is absolutely true. While the hospital system where the doctor last worked two months ago says it is not true for them, Two Oklahoma hospitals differ on doctor's claims over Ivermectin overdoses https://okcfox.com/news/local/two-o...r-on-doctors-claims-over-ivermectin-overdoses
Chicago doctors battle COVID vaccine misinformation: No, the shot won’t make you infertile, and other myths It’s a race against time to get the vast majority of the population vaccinated and misinformation is causing hesitancy for getting shots. By Brett Chase Sep 7, 2021, 5:00am CDT As an expert treating women with infertility, Dr. Eve Feinberg of Northwestern is asked often about the perceived risk of the COVID-19 vaccines. “I have vaccine conversations every single day,” says Feinberg, who assures her patients that there is no evidence that the shots inhibit future pregnancy. An infertility rumor started in Europe late last year has been refuted by multiple scientific studies, says Dr. Randy Morris, medical director of IVF1 fertility clinics in the suburbs. Morris conducted his own research to debunk the myth in a peer-reviewed study published in the spring. “There is an abundance of evidence that it does not cause problems,” Morris says. In fact, he points to other studies that show pregnant women infected with COVID can be at greater risk for death, hospitalization and serious complications, compared with women who are inoculated. Pregnant women across the country are landing in intensive care units, which is alarming, he adds. “Nobody has ever seen pregnant women intubated in ICUs like we are now,” Morris says. Docs: No impact on fertility despite ‘brilliant propaganda’ claiming otherwise Despite these dire warnings, Morris, Feinberg and other doctors fight anti-vaccination propaganda daily that is drowning out scientific evidence. Disproving it becomes difficult when emotions run strong, Feinberg says. “It’s brilliant propaganda started by people who really understand how to tug at the heartstrings,” Feinberg says. “A woman’s desire for motherhood is one of the strongest biological drives.” Infertility is among many misinformation campaigns against coronavirus vaccines. To rid the world of COVID-19, it’s necessary to have a vast majority of the population immune to the virus. Without high rates of immunity, the virus will continue to jump from person to person, potentially mutating and getting stronger. The now-dominant Delta variant, for instance, is far more contagious than previous versions of the virus and is spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated. Chicago residents are only about 60% vaccinated, far from being anywhere near the ideal scenario for herd immunity. The disinformation campaign is driven by small but loud groups of anti-vaccination conspiracists, doctors say. “Unfortunately, there are people with agendas and they want to play on people’s fears,” said Dr. Michael Lin, an infectious disease specialist at Rush University Medical Center... https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/9/7/22654463/chicago-doctors-covid-vaccine-myths-misinformation ---------- wrbtrader
Kentucky's top doctor debunks COVID-19 misinformation Aug 17, 2021 Updated Aug 17, 2021 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The commonwealth's top doctor says misinformation about COVID-19 is hurting Kentuckians. Dr. Steven Stack, the state's public health commissioner, addressed two myths during Gov. Andy Beshear's weekly press briefing on Tuesday. He said some people are not getting the COVID-19 vaccine because they believe it is unsafe and contains the live virus. Stack said that is false, and the vaccine is safe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 4.5 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide. Stack said the risk of getting COVID-19 far outweighs any possible risk with the vaccine. "Those who are passing along lies, they are lies, about these vaccines are killing people," he said. "It is horrible, it is tragic, and I urge you all to be very careful about where you get your guidance on this." Stack also said there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine is harmful to a pregnancy or impacts fertility, urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated. https://www.wdrb.com/news/kentuckys...cle_b173d95a-ffbe-11eb-b963-2b2be3104a36.html ---------- wrbtrader
So we're supposed to believe the okcfox.com article that quotes two docs, but not the official release from the administration of the hospital. Uh huh.
Let's see what the right will push after Ivermectin.... Jason Miller's business partner explicitly claiming that vaccines are the reason people are getting sick because it is a giant plot from China while pushing Artemisinin. Chinese exile Guo Wengui uses misinformation network to push unproven drugs to treat Covid https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/07/guo-wengui-pushes-ivermectin-misinformation-network.html Wealthy Chinese exile Guo Wengui is using his online misinformation network to promote the use of unproven treatments for Covid. Guo as recently as last week pushed the drugs ivermectin and artemisinin as Covid treatments. He has also pushed conspiracy theories about vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna. Guo Wengui, a wealthy businessman who fled China in 2014 and is linked to several high-profile far-right personalities in America, has been using his online network to promote unproven drugs to treat Covid-19 while spreading misinformation about the vaccines used to combat the disease. As recently as Sunday on a livestream, Guo used his show on the online platform GTV to push ivermectin, which is used to treat parasitic infections, and malaria drug artemisinin as ways to battle the coronavirus. Neither the Food and Drug Administration nor the World Health Organization have approved either drug for treating Covid. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned against using ivermectin to treat and prevent Covid infections. Guo on Thursday equated vaccinating children with murder. “Please do not take your children to get vaccinated anymore. It is not about getting a shot that simple but equivalent to murder,” he said in a translated video post on social media platform Gettr. “Those who were vaccinated might face an unpredicted severe consequence.” The CDC recommends that people ages 12 and up get a Covid vaccine, which has been shown to be highly effective in cutting the chances of hospitalization and reducing the spread of the disease. Authorities are expected to approve the use of the vaccine for younger children later this year. GTV, which routinely features Guo himself, has been described by researchers at Graphika as part of the businessman’s larger media empire and misinformation network. Guo is among a group of mainly conservative voices who are pushing ivermectin and other unauthorized Covid treatments as President Joe Biden’s administration and state governments struggle to persuade more Americans to get vaccinated. Sixty-two percent of people 12 and up are fully vaccinated in the U.S., according to CDC data. NBC News reported that a pro-Trump telemedicine website and right-leaning organizations have been some of the biggest purveyors of false information regarding unproven coronavirus treatments. Guo has been close to former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon for years. A foundation linked to Guo recently hosted an event that featured remarks by Bannon and others tied to former President Donald Trump, including lawyer and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former national security advisor Michael Flynn and MyPillow CEO and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell. Guo fled China in 2014 in anticipation of corruption charges. After Guo criticized China’s leaders, warrants were reportedly issued for his arrest on charges that included corruption and bribery. Guo has denied the charges. He has since been sued by investors in GTV. His attorneys have called the plaintiffs’ accusations “unfounded.” “Remember, artemisinin, ivermectin, dexamethasone, oxytetracycline, hydroxychloroquine, and zinc are the necessary medicines to fight the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] virus. These few medicines will eradicate the virus,” Guo said during his Sunday episode on GTV, according to an official translation of the broadcast found on the affiliated GNews website. “Also, artemisinin is effective for those who have had one shot of the vaccine, but not the second or third shot,” he added. That GTV stream has racked up over 7 million views. GTV did not respond to a request for comment after CNBC sent the company a note through its feedback portal. Despite warnings from health officials, people who oppose Covid vaccines have turned to ivermectin, which is often used as a deworming medication for horses, although it can also be used to treat parasitic infections in humans. The hugely popular podcast host Joe Rogan, who has been accused by federal health officials of pushing vaccine misinformation, announced last week he came down with the virus and had been using ivermectin, among other items, to treat his sickness. “The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in people or animals. Ivermectin has not been shown to be safe or effective for these indications,” the FDA recently said in a statement. “There’s a lot of misinformation around, and you may have heard that it’s okay to take large doses of ivermectin. It is not okay.” Beyond Guo and Rogan, others have pushed ivermectin to Covid patients. Conservative radio host Dennis Prager said on his podcast in late July that he used ivermectin as a prophylaxis and, after the FDA came out against the use of ivermectin to treat Covid, accused the agency of “killing tens of thousands of Americans with that statement.” “I put it to you pretty starkly. Either the FDA is misleading you, or I’m misleading you,” Prager told his audience. The progressive media watchdog Media Matters said other conservative personalities on Fox News have hyped the use of ivermectin. Guo has also focused on artemisinin in his recent episodes. A translation of Guo’s live broadcast from Aug. 30 has a headline that says, “Artemisinin is the antidote for CCP virus, said Mr. Miles Guo.” Miles Guo is one of Guo’s aliases, as is Miles Kwok. The translation on the GNews website shows a picture of an artemisinin capsule container with text saying, “Covid-19 Here Comes the Cure — Artemisinin.” “Mr. Miles Guo affirmed that Artemisinin, discovered and extracted by Nobel laureate Tu Youyou, is more than 99% effective in curing the CCP virus,” the translation says. “He also reiterated again that all chaptors must stock up on the Ivermectin, Azithromycin, and Oxytetracycline.” The Aug. 30 livestream had 6 million views. The WHO has said artemisinin, which is an antimalaria drug derived from the artemisia plant, will be tested on hospitalized Covid patients. The WHO said there has yet to be proof of artemisia-derived products being effective in treating Covid-19, the BBC reported. Guo’s campaign to push ivermectin and artemisinin amounts to the latest example of his misinformation tactics, according to new research from Graphika. “In promoting artemisinin, Guo and his media network are relying on tactics Graphika and the Virality Project have observed in the amplification of other unproven Covid-19 treatments,” the researchers say in a blog post. “These include ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, both of which are being promoted by Guo’s network alongside artemisinin.” Translations of Guo’s posts on Gettr, which is run by Trump advisor Jason Miller, show that the Chinese businessman has also used that medium to push similar concepts about unproven Covid treatments. Miller has said Gettr is funded in part by a foundation tied to Guo. In a Gettr video post on Saturday, Guo repeatedly touts artemisinin and ivermectin as a Covid treatment. “Artemisinin is the best, and it definitely works for those who have been vaccinated with the first shot,” a translation of his post said. “Ivermectin is almost 100% effective so far. All patients who have used it are healed,” Guo later adds in the post. He made similar claims in his video post Thursday on Gettr. As for the likelihood of getting Covid after receiving a vaccine, data reported by The New York Times gives the odds at about 1 in 5,000 per day. That’s based on information from Utah, Virginia and a county in Washington state. For regions with higher vaccination rates, such as the Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, the Times data puts the odds at 1 in 10,000.