Health misinformation and lack of confidence in vaccines continue to grow, years after the Covid-19 pandemic, survey shows

TallGuyJohninBKK · November 3, 2023

November 1, 2023

(CNN) -- Vaccine misinformation, which first began spiraling during the Covid-19 pandemic, has grown in the United States in the years since, according to a new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

...

The percentage of Americans who believe that vaccines are approved for use in the US are safe dropped 6 percentage points since April 2021 to 71%, while the share of adults who don’t think the approved vaccines are safe nearly doubled in the same time frame – increasing from 9% to 16%.

“There are warning signs in these data that we ignore at our peril,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and director of the survey, in a news release. “Growing numbers now distrust health-protecting, life-saving vaccines.”

(more)

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/01/health/vaccine-misinformation-survey/index.html

Vaccine Confidence Falls as Belief in Health Misinformation Grows

"Americans have less confidence in vaccines to address a variety of illnesses than they did just a year or two ago, and more people accept misinformation about vaccines and Covid-19, according to the latest health survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

...

Despite concerted efforts by news organizations, public health officials, scientists, and fact-checkers (including APPC’s project FactCheck.org) to counter viral misinformation about vaccination and Covid-19, the survey finds that some false or unproven claims about them are more widely accepted today than two to three years ago.

Although the proportion of the American public that holds these beliefs is, in some cases, still relatively small, the survey finds growth in misinformation acceptance across many questions touching on vaccination."

https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/vaccine-confidence-falls-as-belief-in-health-misinformation-grows/

Edited November 3, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

Amethyst · November 3, 2023

A post with entirely unsourced and unsubstantiated claims has been removed for contravening the forum's Community Standards. Also a post linking to a "questionable source" misinformation website.

"In factual areas such as news forums and current affairs topics member content that is claimed or portrayed as a fact should be supported by a link to a relevant reputable source."

save the frogs · November 3, 2023

Again, it's because most people cannot see the forest for the trees.

But it's too complicated to get into.

The debates about vaccines will never be resolved until AI kills us all.

(Joking. Sort of)

observer90210 · November 3, 2023

I do fully trust the vaccines of the past that saved many lives. (polio, tetanos, all the "pox" stuff, yellow fever, typhoid etc etc).

Also was forced to take the COVID jab due to all the restrictions and so on.

But one cannot help thinking the haste in which the Covid vaccines were released and one cannot ignore much of the feedback from people reporting different side effects.

Not saying at all the COVID vaccines are not efficient or unsafe.

But in the field of vaccines, public trust is necessary and that's far from being attained in these mRNA messenger vaccines, wheather they are fully safe or not.

jvs · November 3, 2023

I went to the temple tonight to pay my respects to some one who died because of covid.

This person refused to be vaccinated.

ICMRA statement on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines

(International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities)

https://icmra.info/drupal/strategicinitiatives/vaccines/safety_statement

https://icmra.info/drupal/sites/default/files/2022-10/icmra_fact_sheet.pdf

save the frogs · November 3, 2023

There was a thread on here about 15-minute cities.

Most people think the govt just wants to control people for no apparent reason other than they enjoy being dictatorial.

But I don't.

even if most people agree on sth, it doesn't mean it's the accurate perception of reality.

Woof999 · November 3, 2023

It really doesn't bother me any more. Just let natural selection do its thing.

thaicurious · November 3, 2023

I've known no one personally who's had medical complications by the vaccine (I've read and heard of the AstraZeneca blood clot issues) but I do have beloved friends dead of covid itself from before vaccinations, a non-vaxxed friend obvious even to himself demented by repeated covid infection and I've a friend who worked as a nurse in a big city hospital throughout this mess, so I'm well aware of her first hand experience pre thru post vaxing.

The level of vaccination misinformation especially in social media, as witnessed in this very forum, is concerning enough that recently I've taken to reading studies on the psychological profiles of we who are inclined to vaccinate vs the vaccine-hesitant which turns out to be a rather complex category vs anti-vaxxers about whom to no surprise there's lots of research being done (albeit, by those who are science-biased, haha)

I find the increase in vaccination misinformation on safety dismaying but the decrease in faith in the efficacy pretty much in line with that the covid vaccines are indeed -- while still life saving -- not as effective as they were before omicron and based on early studies not as effective as hopefully will be the next gen vaccinations when maybe surveys will shift again to reflect that. This does not apply, however, to other vaccines which--I'd have to read all the studies but--have most likely improved, so that might then indicate effects of anti medical propaganda. Without re-researching it, but just from memory so I'm sure my numbers will be off so feel free to be as picky as you want, but I seem to recall that before omicron the vaccinations provided better than a 90% efficacy rate against getting covid, whereas today because of the evolution of the virus the boosters may increase odds of not catching covid by 30 to 40% (until even that depletes between shots) which is not totally great but it is better than 0%, though of course you have to factor in that there is small chance of side effects. But besides just that benefit, there's also reduction in--as well noted elsewhere--hospitalization & deaths but also long covid if it remains true that the greater an infection, the greater the risk of that.

Once we get the next gen mucosal vaccines, that should increase efficacy against all the categories: transmission, hospitalization, deaths and even long covid including the breaking through of the blood brain barrier which ought be of particular concern to any person of age. That would certainly be a game changer in health and hopefully in stress levels and maybe even in surveys as well.

To layer protections with current vaccinations plus masking indoors in public plus social distancing just until the next gen vax which might be in 2024, to delay gratification for a very small period of life, to help prevent whether it's a 10% or 30% chance of winding up with the ills of long covid does not seem like a terrible sacrifice for someone's overall health, like not eating that second scoop of ice cream to help maintain a healthy weight and to keep yourself from getting diabetes. This is just another exercise.

Risking dementia or other artery or organ issues for the privilege of breathing in a virus? Yikes, no thank you.

"We all seek happiness but turn our backs on it. We all wish to avoid misery but race to collect its causes."~~Shantideva

Edited November 3, 2023 by thaicurious
typo

rattlesnake · November 3, 2023

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Why???

"False and misleading information about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines on social media often exaggerates the frequency and severity of side effects. Misinformation also wrongly attributes unrelated medical events to the vaccines.

...

False information on COVID-19 vaccine safety is dangerous and can contribute to the growing problem of vaccine hesitancy. It can also affect trust in other life-saving routine childhood vaccinations."

ICMRA statement on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines

(International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory
Authorities)

https://icmra.info/drupal/strategicinitiatives/vaccines/safety_statement

https://icmra.info/drupal/sites/default/files/2022-10/icmra_fact_sheet.pdf

Fallacious argument.

According to the New York Times, "more than 5.55 billion people worldwide have received a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, equal to about 72.3 percent of the world population".

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html

The vast majority of people were pro-vax, pro-science, willing to do whatever it took and did not listen to other sources than the official ones.

The reason why vaccine uptake has plummeted and people who were previously willing are now unwilling is not "misinformation spreading on social media".

Hint: empirical observation.

Edited November 3, 2023 by rattlesnake

liddelljohn · November 3, 2023

Lack of confidence in Vaccines is due to peoples Lack of intelligence and Lack of education ,, but Darwin awards all round ,, The Science is good but conspiracy theories , politics , moron media and religion means its Darwin awards for the idiots and thats ok ,, too many people on this planet so mother nature culls a few so what ,,

rattlesnake · November 3, 2023

33 minutes ago, liddelljohn said:

Lack of confidence in Vaccines is due to peoples Lack of intelligence and Lack of education ,, but Darwin awards all round ,, The Science is good but conspiracy theories , politics , moron media and religion means its Darwin awards for the idiots and thats ok ,, too many people on this planet so mother nature culls a few so what ,,

But as life is unfair, us stupid and deplorable antivaxxers are still alive and well instead of dying as we deserve.

Speaking of which, another acquaintance of mine has just passed away. He was a doctor so he got stellar points for education. Much smarter than I as he trusted the science and had four shots of the life-saving vaccine. He just got sick and died out of the blue. Everyone is baffled, of course.

save the frogs · November 3, 2023

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

The reason why vaccine uptake has plummeted and people who were previously willing are now unwilling is not "misinformation spreading on social media".

Hint: empirical observation.

During the height of the pandemic, the mainstream news was constantly flashing in our faces that we will die.

So people were more prone to panic.

Now, the media is no longer telling us that we will die every 5 minutes.

So people are less prone to panic and less inclined to get the vaccine.

There may ALSO be less trust in the vaccine, but the first part is a big factor as well.

save the frogs · November 3, 2023

16 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Speaking of which, another acquaintance of mine has just passed away. He was a doctor so he got stellar points for education. Much smarter than I as he trusted the science and had four shots of the life-saving vaccine. He just got sick and died out of the blue. Everyone is baffled, of course.

I don't believe such claims on this forum.

How old was he? What underlying health issues did he have?

No one is dying "out of the blue".

rattlesnake · November 3, 2023

19 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I don't believe such claims on this forum.

How old was he? What underlying health issues did he have?

No one is dying "out of the blue".

Mid-60s, no health issues, normal BMI. He was diagnosed with an agressive form of cancer in June, when he had his first symptoms, and in September he was dead.

The fact that you don't believe people are dying out of the blue does not make it any less real – even if nobody wants to talk about it.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-10-20/debates/69C5A514-9A04-4ED7-B56B-61A3D40E3226/TrendsInExcessDeaths

rattlesnake · November 3, 2023

33 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

During the height of the pandemic, the mainstream news was constantly flashing in our faces that we will die.

So people were more prone to panic.

Now, the media is no longer telling us that we will die every 5 minutes.

So people are less prone to panic and less inclined to get the vaccine.

There may ALSO be less trust in the vaccine, but the first part is a big factor as well.

True, and there were the mandates as well, quite a few of people I know were hesitant but did it because otherwise they would have lost their job.

Still, the booster campaigns are flopping everywhere and a significant number of people have told me they would not do it again because they haven't felt well since, and the fact that the antivaxxers did not die as they were supposed to proves that this whole thing was overhyped. As you say, people were manipulated into fearing a threat, now the dust has settled and many feel deceived, and rightly so.

I think this loss of trust in the authorities is deep and will only get worse.

eisfeld · November 3, 2023

37 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Mid-60s, no health issues, normal BMI. He was diagnosed with an agressive form of cancer in June, when he had his first symptoms, and in September he was dead.

The fact that you don't believe people are dying out of the blue does not make it any less real – even if nobody wants to talk about it.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-10-20/debates/69C5A514-9A04-4ED7-B56B-61A3D40E3226/TrendsInExcessDeaths

You don't die from cancer out of the blue at 60. Cancer in older people grows usually rather slowly as it is metabolism and cell growth related. I've had two cases of cancer in my immediate family plus one in the circle of friends so I'm familiar with the topic. This was months or years in the making. And it has nothing to do with Covid vaccines. You conveniently omitted the fact that he died of something completely unrelated in your earlier post and made it sound like it was vaccine related.

For you anyone who dies and had the vaccine died because of the vaccine and anyone who didn't die from Covid-19 and didn't have the vaccine is proof that vaccines are not needed. That's bogus reasoning of course.

Edited November 3, 2023 by eisfeld

TallGuyJohninBKK · November 3, 2023

43 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-10-20/debates/69C5A514-9A04-4ED7-B56B-61A3D40E3226/TrendsInExcessDeaths

Andrew Bridgen... wow... now you're really plumbing the depths of the anti-vax rubbish pile.

Andrew Bridgen wrong to call mRNA vaccines gene therapy

"Andrew Bridgen MP, who we have fact checked before for his false and misleading claims on vaccines, has repeatedly wrongly described the Covid-19 mRNA vaccines as “gene therapy”.

He has made at least eight references to gene therapy or therapies on Twitter in regard to the mRNA vaccines since the start of the year.

Describing the mRNA vaccines as “gene therapy” is a common form of vaccine misinformation.

https://fullfact.org/health/andrew-bridgen-gene-therapy-vaccines/

"Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen made a number of claims about the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines during a ’Vaccines: Potential Harms’ adjournment debate he raised in the House of Commons on 13 December.

Some of these claims were missing important context, so we’ve fact checked four of them in detail.

We have previously fact checked Mr Bridgen’s claims about Covid-19 vaccines twice in recent weeks—once when he made an inaccurate claim at Prime Minister’s Questions about vaccines during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and separately during a larger debate on Covid-19 vaccines."

https://fullfact.org/health/andrew-bridgen-vaccine-safety-debate/

"In the UK, the most obvious recent proponent of the anti-vaccine conspiracy theory has been former Conservative Party (now Reclaim Party) MP Andrew Bridgen, who has also claimed he knows that the Covid virus was designed in a specific US military lab (not, I hasten to add, a Chinese one; and it’s the same US lab, just coincidentally, that conspiracy theorists in the 80s claimed was the source of the HIV virus)."

https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-vaccines-not-linked-excess-deaths-anti-vaxxers-believe-2342492

Tory MP slammed for repeating debunked COVID vaccine claims

Updated 8 December 2022

"A Conservative MP has been criticised after repeating a debunked claim that mRNA vaccines are not recommended for pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen made the unsubstantiated claim while criticising the health regulator's decision to authorise a COVID-19 vaccine for children aged six months to four years old.

The NHS, The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and The British Fertility Society all support pregnant women getting COVID-19 vaccines and say they are "strongly recommended in pregnancy"."

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/tory-mp-andrew-bridgen-covid-vaccine-192457505.html

Andrew Bridgen has whip suspended for ‘spreading Covid vaccine misinformation’

11 Jan 2023

"Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen has been suspended from the Tory party after comparing the Covid-19 vaccine to the Holocaust.

Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart said: ‘Andrew Bridgen has crossed a line, causing great offence in the process.

‘As a nation, we should be very proud of what has been achieved through the vaccine programme. The vaccine is the best defence against COVID that we have."

https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/11/andrew-bridgen-has-whip-suspended-for-spreading-covid-vaccine-misinformation-18079201/

Andrew Bridgen: What has suspended MP said about vaccines?

" in recent months, he has made increasingly misleading statements about vaccine safety.

...

In December 2022, Mr Bridgen called in Parliament for a "complete suspension" of Covid vaccines based on what he described as, "robust data of significant harms and little ongoing benefit".

This went against the overwhelming weight of evidence, from a number of different independent teams of researchers, that found that Covid vaccines' benefits far outweigh any known harms."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64237949

etc etc etc...

Edited November 3, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

rattlesnake · November 3, 2023

12 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

You don't die from cancer out of the blue at 60. Cancer in older people grows usually rather slowly as it is metabolism and cell growth related. I've had two cases of cancer in my immediate family plus one in the circle of friends so I'm familiar with the topic. This was months or years in the making. And it has nothing to do with Covid vaccines. You conveniently omitted the fact that he died of something completely unrelated in your earlier post and made it sound like it was vaccine related.

For you anyone who dies and had the vaccine died because of the vaccine and anyone who didn't die from Covid-19 and didn't have the vaccine is proof that vaccines are not needed. That's bogus reasoning of course.

"You don't die from cancer out of the blue at 60."

Yes you do. You should listen to Ed Dowd (even if the media tell you not to).

eisfeld · November 3, 2023

5 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

"You don't die from cancer out of the blue at 60."

Yes you do. You should listen to Ed Dowd (even if the media tell you not to).

Yea sure, I'll get my medical information from someone on Youtube who works in finance and for which immediately after searching his name one finds misinformation reports and claim debunks. Hey he even made it onto Reuters with his misinformation. I should not listen to the half dozen doctors that I had interacted with while accompanying my family members through years of cancer treatments. Got it, sounds like a smart plan. Not.

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-excess-mortality-idUSL2N2VS1BI

save the frogs · November 3, 2023

11 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

Mid-60s, no health issues, normal BMI. He was diagnosed with an agressive form of cancer in June, when he had his first symptoms, and in September he was dead.

The fact that you don't believe people are dying out of the blue does not make it any less real – even if nobody wants to talk about it.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-10-20/debates/69C5A514-9A04-4ED7-B56B-61A3D40E3226/TrendsInExcessDeaths

But if he had an "aggressive form of cancer" .... well let's move on.

The link you provided claims that people are dropping like flies "in the prime of their life."

I will give you some reasons why this is not feasible ie administering a vaccine which could potentially cause anyone to die suddenly is not feasible.

1 - Either millions and millions of people would drop dead like flies or no one would. Right? Otherwise, how could a deadly vaccine just kill 10,000 people and not affect 6.5 billion other people? If it were deadly, then literally millions and millions of people would die, not just a random few. Most of us would die, which ain't happening any time soon.

2 - Mark Zuckerberg cannot maintain his billionaire status if millions of people suddenly die. He stays a billionaire if millions of people continue to use Facebook. In other words, the elites need you around to keep the economy going and to stay filthy rich.

The elites need people around for various other reasons. If a war breaks out, they need people to defend their country. There is a war in Israel now. Did Israelis not take the vaccine? Do you think the govt would risk many young people dying? Who will protect their country during a war? The problem with this simplistic conspiracy is that you have no idea what complicated issues govts need to deal with because you have never run a country. Do you realize that many countries have a population decline? Do you think govts would risk administering sth that kills people randomly when they already have problems maintaining healthy population levels? If population levels reach unhealthy proportions, societies collapse.

So I've given reasons why your conspiracy is not feasible.

However, I don't discount that there is a possible future scenario where this sort of conspiracy may have validity.

Edited November 4, 2023 by stats
off topic diversion comments removed

Bkk Brian · November 4, 2023

8 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

"You don't die from cancer out of the blue at 60."

Yes you do. You should listen to Ed Dowd (even if the media tell you not to).

You are being easily led by the scammers, Ed Dowd a a former investment portfolio manager at BlackRock is just promoting the sale of his book. He even claimed "We’ve created a new term called sudden adult death syndrome that just kind of mysteriously came into being in 2021" When in fact SADS been around since the 90's, he couldn't even get that piece of basic info correct let alone his false claims on vaccine deaths.

https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/evidence-covid-19-vaccines-dont-increase-risk-death-contrary-claim-financier-edward-dowd/

rattlesnake · November 4, 2023

9 hours ago, eisfeld said:

Yea sure, I'll get my medical information from someone on Youtube who works in finance and for which immediately after searching his name one finds misinformation reports and claim debunks. Hey he even made it onto Reuters with his misinformation. I should not listen to the half dozen doctors that I had interacted with while accompanying my family members through years of cancer treatments. Got it, sounds like a smart plan. Not.

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-excess-mortality-idUSL2N2VS1BI

Typing a name on a search engine to know whether one should listen to someone or not is the act of a slave.

Amethyst · November 4, 2023

A post with entirely unsourced and unsubstantiated claims has been removed for contravening the forum's Community Standards. Also an off-topic post.

"In factual areas such as news forums and current affairs topics member content that is claimed or portrayed as a fact should be supported by a link to a relevant reputable source."

rattlesnake · November 4, 2023

10 hours ago, save the frogs said:

But if he had an "aggressive form of cancer" .... well let's move on.

The link you provided claims that people are dropping like flies "in the prime of their life."

I will give you some reasons why this is not feasible ie administering a vaccine which could potentially cause anyone to die suddenly is not feasible.

1 - Either millions and millions of people would drop dead like flies or no one would. Right? Otherwise, how could a deadly vaccine just kill 10,000 people and not affect 6.5 billion other people? If it were deadly, then literally millions and millions of people would die, not just a random few. Most of us would die, which ain't happening any time soon.

2 - Mark Zuckerberg cannot maintain his billionaire status if millions of people suddenly die. He stays a billionaire if millions of people continue to use Facebook. In other words, the elites need you around to keep the economy going and to stay filthy rich.

The elites need people around for various other reasons. If a war breaks out, they need people to defend their country. There is a war in Israel now. Did Israelis not take the vaccine? Do you think the govt would risk many young people dying? Who will protect their country during a war? The problem with this simplistic conspiracy is that you have no idea what complicated issues govts need to deal with because you have never run a country. Do you realize that many countries have a population decline? Do you think govts would risk administering sth that kills people randomly when they already have problems maintaining healthy population levels? If population levels reach unhealthy proportions, societies collapse.

So I've given reasons why your conspiracy is not feasible.

However, I don't discount that there is a possible future scenario where this sort of conspiracy may have validity.

Just look at the data. Don't restrict your world view to what the mainstream media authorises.

stevenl · November 4, 2023

57 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

Just look at the data. Don't restrict your world view to what the mainstream media authorises.

Yes, trust the fringe sites where any fool can write what he wants and will be believed by other fools.

save the frogs · November 4, 2023

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

Just look at the data. Don't restrict your world view to what the mainstream media authorises.

Just try to understand what I posted.

Amethyst · November 4, 2023

Several posts citing sources with extensive, documented histories of COVID vaccine misinformation have been removed for contravening the forum's Community Standards, along with several ensuing replies.

"5. You will not use ASEAN NOW to post any material which is knowingly or can be reasonably construed as false, inaccurate, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law. Topics or posts deemed to be scaremongering, deliberately misleading or which deliberately distort information will be removed. In factual areas such as news forums and current affairs topics member content that is claimed or portrayed as a fact should be supported by a link to a relevant reputable source. "

rattlesnake · November 4, 2023

2 hours ago, save the frogs said:

Just try to understand what I posted.

Perfectly understood.

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Health misinformation and lack of confidence in vaccines continue to grow, years after the Covid-19 pandemic, survey shows

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Vaccine Confidence Falls as Belief in Health Misinformation Grows

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(International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities)

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(International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities)

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