Antivaxx myths ‘risk extending pandemic’

VACCINE myths spread online could extend the pandemic by dissuading millions of people f rom getting a Covid j ab, experts have warned.

A study found that even minor exposure to misinformation about vaccines could turn as many as four million people in the UK against being vaccinated.

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said their work suggested 54 per cent of people in the UK would ‘definitely’ accept a vaccine – but after being shown online antivaxx misinformation this dropped to 47 per cent.

Crucially, scientists believe roughly 55 per cent of people would need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, meaning such exposures to myths could be the difference between a quick exit from the pandemic and a prolonged crisis.

The warning came as the scientist behind the promising PfizerBioNTech vaccine said last night he is confident his product can ‘bash the virus over the head’ and end the crisis.

BioNTech boss Ugur Sahin told the Guardian: ‘If the question is whether we can stop this pandemic with this vaccine, then my answer is yes, because I believe that even protection only from symptomatic infections will have a dramatic effect.’

The LSHTM researchers questioned 8,000 people in the UK and the US. While 54 per cent of British study participants said they would ‘definitely’ accept a vaccine, only 41.2 per cent in the United States did.

After being shown misinformation in circulation online, those numbers fell by 6.4 percentage points in the UK group, and by 2.4 across the Atlantic.

Extrapolating the UK figures across the whole population would equate to four million Britons being put off the jab.

In both countries, people without a university degree, those in low-income groups and ethnic minorities were more likely to reject a Covid-19 vaccine.

Women were more likely than men to refuse, but more respondents said they would accept a vaccine if it meant protecting family, friends or at-risk groups.

Study leader Professor Heidi Larson said: ‘Covid-19 vaccines will be crucial to helping to end this pandemic and returning our lives to near normal. However, vaccines only work if people take them.’ The rumours used in the study included claims that 5G mobile networks are causing the virus, that the pandemic is a conspiracy or a bioweapon and that vaccine trial participants have died. A tweet from conspiracy theorist David Icke suggesting vaccine recipients would become infertile also featured.

Professor Larson added: ‘Our work has shown that misinformation can change people’s minds and willingness to accept a potential Covid-19 vaccine, a decision which could threaten lives around the world.

‘Reported willingness to accept a Covid-19 vaccine is already below the needed herd immunity threshold. Exposure to misinformation could push us even further away from that goal.’

She said the best way to counter the issue was with facts.