Facing Domestic Extremism, Covid Updates & Fact Checks, and Examining If We're Looking at Vaccine Hesitancy the Wrong Way
Threats, Fact Checks, and Reads #6.18.21
Covid
SARS-CoV-2 Variants Circulating in the United States
To date, five variants have been classified as a variant of concern (VOC).
Nowcast estimates* of SARS-CoV-2 cases caused by these VOCs for the two weeks ending June 5 are summarized here.
Seroprevalence Studies Estimate How Many People Have Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2
The survey includes people who had blood specimens tested for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, such as for a routine or sick visit during which blood was collected and tested by commercial laboratories in participating areas from each of the 10 sites. CDC aims to test about 1,800 samples collected from each of these 10 areas, approximately every 3–4 weeks. Researchers are looking to see what percentage of people tested already have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and how that percentage changes over time in each area.
A study found SARS-CoV-2 infections weeks prior to the first recognized cases in 5 U.S. states.
Why this matters: While not surprising given that we knew in Jan 2020 that the virus likely spilled over between Sept and Nov of 2020, it still provides critical information about where and when the virus was spreading.
Delta Variant: COVID-19 ‘on Steroids’
The Delta variant is speeding past sluggish global vaccination efforts, likely bringing a brutal summer of infections across dozens of countries–-even in some nations with plentiful vaccine stocks. The variant, which first emerged in India, has now spread to 80 countries, the WHO announced yesterday, The Washington Post reports.
Vaccine divide: Delta, which is 60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant first detected in the UK, is set to ravage Asia, South America, and Africa (see below) while the US and Europe “vaccinate their way out of the Covid crisis,” tweeted Madhu Pai.
Vaccine failure: While the 2-dose mRNA vaccine regimens seem to protect against Delta, more than 350 Sinovac-vaccinated health workers in Indonesia have tested positive, Reuters reports. Most had no symptoms, but dozens had to be hospitalized. The central Java outbreak is thought to be driven by Delta.
Future shock: Delta is surging in the US—it now makes up 10% of cases in the US. Last week, that figure was 6%, CNBC reports.
Ugh. Meet Lambda: WHO added a new variant—Lambda, from South America—to its variants of concern list. Its numerous spike protein mutations may impact transmissibility but more research is needed.
The Quote:
“If you’re living in a part of the country where there’s a low degree of vaccination or you yourself are not vaccinated, you’re clearly vulnerable because this is basically covid-19 on steroids,” Andy Slavitt, a former Biden COVID-19 adviser, told the Post.
Claims that Covid vaccine spike proteins are harmful are unevidenced
An article published by the website The Conservative Woman reports on an interview with a Canadian scientist who claimed researchers had made a “big mistake” and were “inadvertently inoculating” people with a “toxin” via the Covid-19 vaccines.
In an interview with a Candian broadcaster on 28 May 2021, Dr. Byram Bridle—a viral immunologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada—claimed the spike protein generated by the Covid-19 is capable of damaging the cardiovascular system. But the claim is based on assumptions not supported by evidence.
A 40,000-person trial of German company CureVac’s vaccines has returned dismal results—it had only 47% efficacy; the company blamed its failure on a complex, “variant-rich” environment.
The number of people in England with COVID-19 is doubling every 11 days, according to data from 100,000+ swab tests taken between May 20 and June 7 as part of the REACT study; numbers were trending downward until April.
New CDC guidance says primary care providers can handle the treatment needs of people with long COVID, though some patients will require special care for the condition that still has no definitive lab test.
Expired Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines were injected into nearly 900 New Yorkers from June 5 to 10 at a Times Square vaccination site; the company handling the vaccinations said people were not in any danger and urged them to get another shot.
CureVac fails in pivotal COVID-19 vaccine trial with 47% efficacy
German biotech CureVac NV said on Wednesday its COVID-19 vaccine was only 47% effective in a late-stage trial, missing the study’s main goal and throwing in doubt the potential delivery of hundreds of millions of doses to the European Union.
Misinformation and lack of government action drives mandatory vaccination
Did 'misinformed sermons' change the perspectives of Nigerians on COVID-19?
No, Fauci's emails don't prove he knew hydroxychloroquine worked against COVID-19
People hospitalized with COVID-19 now have one overwhelming thing in common. They're not vaccinated.
Has a 'Moscow Strain' of Coronavirus Emerged?
The developers of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine are studying the jab’s effectiveness against the so-called “Moscow strain” of the virus, they told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency Tuesday. Gamaleya Center head Alexander Gintsburg’s comments come as Moscow officials have sounded the alarm over the Russian capital’s surge in new infections, with reported daily cases more than doubling in the past week.
Threat
The Ruthless Hackers Behind Ransomware Attacks on US Hospitals: ‘They Do Not Care’
A string of ransomware attacks on hospitals has been carried out in recent months. These attacks have forced some medical facilities to suspend surgeries and delay medical care. They are also costing hospitals millions of dollars.
The Wall Street Journal tracked the major attacks conducted by a specific group, a gang of Eastern European cybercriminals known as the “Business Club” previously and Ryuk more recently, that has ties to Russian government security services.
It is the “most prolific ransomware gang in the world,” responsible for one-third of the 203 million attacks in the US in 2020. It is estimated that the group accrued at least $100 million in paid ransoms last year.
Bill Siegel, CEO of the ransomware recovery firm Coveware, plainly stated: “They do not care. Patient care, people dying, whatever. It doesn't matter.”
The assaults launched specifically at hospitals during the pandemic exposed concerning gaps in cybersecurity for the nation’s health systems. In this day in age, hospitals are highly dependent on computers, especially given the push to digitize patient records.
Pentagon Considering Naval Task Force on China. The Pentagon is considering forming a permanent naval task force to counter China in the Pacific, along with naming a military operation in the region to allow the defense secretary to commit additional resources to the area, sources told Politico.
Why this matters: Biden has been accused of being soft on China. This acknowledges the threat and the need for a devoted team.
U.S. Unveils ‘Domestic Terror’ Strategy. The Biden administration released a strategy to address domestic terror threats from white supremacists and militias through increased information sharing and more resources for threat identification and deterrence. Though the strategy does not call for new legislation, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced he is convening an interagency task force to address the issue.
Why this matters: The US is currently facing unprecedented growth and activity among violent domestic extremists similar to the early 90s, known for the Oklahoma City bombing.
Both far-left and far-right attacks hit groundbreaking levels in 2020, the database shows, with far-right incidents still the much larger group.
The 73 far-right incidents were an all-time annual high in the CSIS database, which goes back to 1994.
The rioting statute has provoked debate among defense lawyers, civil liberties advocates, and prosecutors. After decades of virtual disuse, the Justice Department turned broadly to the civil disorder law in 2020 to prosecute protest-related unrest after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody … Defendants say the law is vague and overbroad, defining civil disorder as any violent, public disturbance involving more than two people.
They also say it infringes on constitutional rights to free speech, association, and bear arms while holding individuals criminally liable for “having reason to know” a firearm might be used unlawfully... In 2015, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld the law, saying the statute does not criminalize speech or any protected rights,” Spencer S. Hsu reports for the Washington Post.
Hong Kong police raided the offices of pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily
They arrested and charged the chief editor and chief executive with collusion with a foreign country.
The raid on Apple Daily “sends a further chilling message for media freedom,” said Rupert Colville, the chief U.N. human rights spokesperson.
Russia offering energy jobs to European ex-politicians
Why does Russia like to employ people like Schroeder, Kneissl, and Fillon? Well, obviously, they’re intelligent, resourceful, well-educated, and well-networked people or they would never have risen to the top of their professions in the first place, so there are plenty of good reasons to employ them.
But it’s also true that Russia has long tried to counteract its relative economic weakness compared to the European Union as a whole, by pressurizing or rewarding individual member states so they can derail the bloc’s consensus-based policymaking.
Ensuring that politicians from particularly influential EU countries can earn a useful post-retirement income is a potentially useful way to encourage them to remain friendly pre-retirement.
Malicious COVID-19 online content bypassing moderation efforts of social media platforms
Malicious COVID-19 online content – including racist content, disinformation and misinformation – thrives and spreads online by bypassing the moderation efforts of individual social media platforms.
US Says Biden, Xi Meeting Likely. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the White House is considering talks between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Both will attend an upcoming G20 summit and may meet there.
Disinformation
News
from the Securing Democracy Dispatch
The Justice Department in 2018 subpoenaed Apple for the personal data of at least a dozen individuals tied to the House Intelligence Committee, including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Former President Trump’s staff pressured Jeffrey Rosen to embrace claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election in the days before Rosen became acting attorney general, according to emails disclosed by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Almost 60 offices in the House of Representatives were unable to access some constituent information after a ransomware attack hit the tech vendor constituent.
U.S. intelligence officials said Iran is intensifying a disinformation campaign to create social discord and spread anti-Semitism within the United States.
The U.K. Parliament’s China Research Group found that 20 leading British universities have collectively accepted more than £40 million in funding from Huawei and other state-owned Chinese companies since 2015.
Italy plans to establish a new national agency to fend off cyberattacks as it seeks to secure its public administration data in a more robust cloud infrastructure.
The U.S. State Department criticized the Nigerian government’s decision to ban Twitter following a temporary suspension of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Shadow bans, fact-checks, info hubs: The big guide to how platforms are handling misinformation
Mayorkas asserts Biden administration is pursuing “lawful pathways” to limit migration. His comments came during a trip to Mexico City to discuss cooperation with Mexico on the issue.
The border has been the subject of disinformation campaigns since 2018 at the latest.
Recent distortion and misrepresentations include claims about the surge in early 2021 and the threat that migrants pose.
Ashli Babbitt Trending Among Kremlin-Controlled Twitter Accounts
Russia drove the majority of foreign disinformation amplification happening through diplomatic and state-controlled media outlets. China and Iran have shown marginal interest thus far.
This is not the first time we have seen coordinated amplification about Ashli Babbitt. Last time the inauthentic activity largely sought to re-frame how her death was perceived by the public by portraying her as someone who died because she supported the former President. This is false.
The first time we observed this happened after Republicans blocked the bill to investigate the Jan 6 attack on the capitol and it coincided with some elected officials echoing a similar narrative.
That does not prove or imply a connection. It is merely relevant context that could mean a variety of things.
Fact Checks
In a report by STAT News on long COVID in children, Audrey John, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, highlighted:
“You can get Covid at 18 months of age […] Maybe you can’t tell us that you have a little brain fog. Maybe you can’t tell us that you just don’t feel great. But whether those kids grow like they’re supposed to, develop language like they’re supposed to, go on to be successful in school like they’re supposed to — we’re not going to learn for a long time.”
The CDC continues to recommend that everyone aged 12 years and older get the COVID-19 vaccines, “given the greater risk of other serious complications related to COVID-19, such as hospitalization, a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), or death.”
On 12 June 2021, the American Heart Association (AHA) published a statement in which they recommended COVID-19 vaccination:
“We remain confident that the benefits of vaccination far exceed the very unusual risks. The risks of COVID-19 infection include its potentially fatal consequences and the potential long-term health effects that are still revealing themselves, including lingering consequences affecting the heart, brain, vascular system and other organs after infection.”
The CDC and AHA encourage people to be more aware of symptoms associated with myocarditis, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapid or abnormal heart rhythms, and to seek care immediately if they experience any of these symptoms after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
Posts falsely claim Covid-19 vaccines contain electronic devices that can activate light bulbs
Multiple Facebook posts claim Covid-19 vaccines contain electronic devices that can turn on light bulbs. The claim is false, according to health experts. The misleading posts included a screenshot of a video that shows a light bulb trick. The claim was shared here on Facebook on June 5, 2021.
The post's Korean-language caption translates to English in part as: “You can turn on a light bulb by placing it on your arm where the vaccine was administered. What does this mean? It means there is an electronic device in the vaccine. It’s a microchip that plays such a role.”
The post includes a screenshot of a man holding a light bulb close to his arm, purportedly where a Covid-19 jab was administered.
The lengthy post goes on to claim that people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 are “magnetic” and can be recognized by electronic devices. The post also suggests this is part of a “deep state” agenda, a possible reference to the QAnon conspiracy theory. AFP reported on the QAnon movement here.
Identical claims were also shared on Facebook here, here, and here. These claims, however, are false.
Five dangerous fentanyl myths debunked by science
On 5 June 2021, the Celebrity Millennium set sail from Philipsburg, St. Maarten, becoming the first major cruise ship to leave a North American port since the onset of the pandemic, with 600 passengers and 650 crew members on board. According to the cruise company, all passengers and crew members were vaccinated against COVID-19. However, two passengers tested positive for COVID-19 by the end of the 7-day cruise.
This news circulated on social media platforms, and some framed this incident in a way that suggested that COVID-19 vaccines are not efficient enough, as shown in the caption of this Instagram post stating “almost like the shot is useless”. However, such a presentation is misleading and is an example of the nirvana fallacy. The fact that a few people still get infected by SARS-CoV-2 in spite of vaccination doesn’t mean that COVID-19 vaccines as a whole are useless.
Clinical trials and ongoing monitoring show that vaccinated people are much less at risk of developing COVID-19 and severe disease than unvaccinated people. Large clinical trials involving tens of thousands of volunteers showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines reduced the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 in the vaccinated group by 95%, 94.5%, and 66.9%, respectively, compared to the group that didn’t receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the CDC, these vaccines reduce the number of COVID-19 patients needing hospitalization by at least 89%. Summarizing the available evidence, the CDC reported that the vaccines are approximately 90% effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection, including asymptomatic cases.
Did the first case of a postmortem study of a patient vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 find viral RNA in every organ of the body? No, that's not true: Researchers found viral RNA in seven of the nine organs they analyzed. "This is not even the majority of all human organs," the study's authors wrote to Lead Stories.
The claim was one of several in an article about the study that its authors said fundamentally distorted the facts.
Anti-vaxxer's testimony to lawmakers recites Covid-19 misinformation
Satire Article On Mosquitoes Escaping From Wuhan Lab Shared As Real
An article from a notorious fake news website - World News Daily Report (WNDR) claiming mosquitoes inoculated with viagra escaped from a high-security laboratory in Wuhan, China, is going viral online with netizens believing it to be real.
World News Daily Report is a known fake news website, that passes off disinformation under the guise of satirical content. This is being shared in the backdrop of Lab leak the theory gaining prominence, which is an unproven theory claiming that the COVID-19 virus is not natural and leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
The release in Florida hopes to suppress Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which can carry diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
No sign that the COVID-19 vaccines' spike protein is toxic or 'cytotoxic'
No sign spike proteins from COVID-19 vaccines, including Novavax, are dangerous, contrary to Facebook posts.
Fact Check-Johns Hopkins University did not say that you can be vaccinated with a PCR test
The false claim that people are being vaccinated through PCR COVID-19 tests has been shared across social media.
The article alleges that the PCR testing campaign could be a World Health Organization (WHO) vaccination program “in disguise” due to a new technology developed at the university “that is supposed to make it possible to carry out covert vaccinations through a PCR test”.
It references an article (here) from Johns Hopkins, which reads: “Inspired by a parasitic worm that digs its sharp teeth into the intestines of its host, Johns Hopkins researchers have developed tiny, star-shaped micro-devices that attach to the intestinal mucosa and can deliver drugs into the body.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Johns Hopkins said the article had been “inaccurately used for disinformation” over the past few months.
Research Rebuts Claims Linking COVID-19 Vaccines to Male Infertility
A new study found there was no negative effect on sperm levels in men after receiving the COVID-19 vaccines, undercutting suggestions that the shots affect male fertility. But social media posts have made the baseless claim that vaccinated men “are effectively sterile.”
Facebook posts - No, New York didn’t lift COVID-19 restrictions because of a Cuomo wedding
False Claim: "Dandelion root is able to kill 98% of cancer cells within 48 hours."
Research
We’ve analyzed thousands of COVID-19 misinformation narratives. Here are six regional takeaways
By December 2020, we recorded 5,613 distinct misinformation stories from over 80 countries, in 35 languages.
The global reach of the pandemic created a unique opportunity for a regional analysis of misinformation trends. It allowed us to explore the ways in which misinformation actors in many countries, regions and cultural contexts responded against the common backdrop of COVID-19. We observed several overlapping misinformation narratives. No matter where in the world we looked, there were plenty of claims of false cures or fake home remedies, outlandish accounts of supposed government conspiracies, and reports of exaggerated case counts meant to instill fear— trends we explored in a series of articles in the Bulletin over the past year.
Most of these stories appear to have been efforts to shape political debates. But a myriad of motivations likely prompted the misinformation we found—including people seeking ideological ends, political gain, and financial profit. An overwhelming majority—80 percent of the stories—were spread by individuals on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, while 17 percent were spread by media outlets and political figures.
It is often suggested that all politics is local; so is misinformation. Contrary to what one might expect from the globalized information environment, the salient themes in pandemic-related false narratives varied significantly across regions and countries; localized false narratives prevailed over global ones. When generating misinformation, social media users seemed to absorb a common set of COVID-19 background conditions and use them to falsify specific narratives to reflect local and regional realities.
Read More: See What Researchers Found Regionally
New research shows Google serves almost half of all ad traffic on fake news sites
New data indicates that unless advertisers are paying careful attention to their exclusion lists, there's a chance that ads could be showing up next to fake news online.
Truth, lies and the disinformation problem that won't go away
It's a hard balance to strike between protecting free speech and stopping the spread of false and misleading content online. The final instalment in a five-part series.
Are we looking at Vaccine Hesitancy the Wrong Way?
Different variables affect vaccine hesitancy similarly. This may suggest it's less about the specific variables and more about the stress they generate, which influences our thinking.
Some highlights from this report:
Evangelical Christians have been a consistently vaccine-hesitant group, but religion itself does not appear to explain the hesitation. Catholics have a far lower vaccine hesitancy than Evangelicals.
Interestingly, the difference between Catholic Republicans and Catholic Democrats was only about 5 points between parties.
Evangelical Christians differ by 20 points between parties.
Catholics had some of the lowest vaccine hesitancy with 23% for Democrats and 28% for Republicans.
Even atheists had higher vaccine hesitancy than Catholics.
Counties that voted for Trump in the 2020 election are some of the most vaccine-hesitant, but states that went to Romney in 2012 had some of the lowest vaccine exemption rates.
Researchers who examined what affects how susceptible we are to disinformation, and found that the “uneducated Trump voter” trope is too simplistic and likely wrong. We know that intellect is only one part of why people believe misinformation. Well-educated, intelligent people fall for it too.
Pew Research polling finds that Democrats and Republicans have similar levels of scientific understanding—although that doesn’t mean the scientific literacy in the US is particularly boast-worthy.
Having similar levels of scientific literacy, however, does not mean that everyone holds evidence-based views.
Intuition-based thinking makes people more likely to be Republican, which makes them more likely to approve of Trump, who then increases their risk of believing misinformation because they trust him.
Read More: Are We Looking At Vaccine Hesitancy the Wrong Way?
We Investigated Whether Digital Contact Tracing Actually Worked in the US
In an attempt to learn more about how this technology fared in the US, MIT Technology Review reached out to every state public health department that launched a digital contact tracing system and examined app reviews left by anonymous Americans.
They asked two questions: who is actually using this technology, and how do people feel about it?
The end result of this analysis paints a picture of unexplored potential.
Many of the country’s exposure notification apps are underutilized, misunderstood, and not well-trusted—and yet this technology may yet come into its own as a public health tool for future disease outbreaks.
Communication technology, the study of collective behavior must be 'crisis discipline'
STAT+ Conversations: How Covid changed health misinformation online
Recommended Reads
Developing an accuracy-prompt toolkit to reduce COVID-19 misinformation online
Recent research suggests that shifting users’ attention to accuracy increases the quality of news they subsequently share online. Here we help develop this initial observation into a suite of deployable interventions for practitioners. We ask (i) how prior results generalize to other approaches for prompting users to consider accuracy, and (ii) for whom these prompts are more versus less effective. In a large survey experiment examining participants’ intentions to share true and false headlines about COVID-19, we identify a variety of different accuracy prompts that successfully increase sharing discernment across a wide range of demographic subgroups while maintaining user autonomy.
False claims about ‘magnetic’ Covid-19 vaccines continue to spread
The latest example came from Sherri Tenpenny, among the most notorious anti-vaccine influencers on social media.
Testifying at an Ohio legislative hearing, Tenpenny, who has profited from conspiracy theories and who once described Covid-19 vaccines as “a perfect killing machine,” told lawmakers that viral online videos suggested the vaccines bear a protein with “a metal attached to it.”
“I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures all over the Internet of people who have had these shots and now they’re magnetized,” she said. A video of her testimony posted on Twitter by a local reporter has garnered at least 3 million views and attracted coverage from The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, and other major news outlets.
All of the claims made by Tenpenny about magnetism and the vaccines are patently false.
The conspiracy and disinformation challenge on e-commerce platforms
Following the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, social media companies came under intense scrutiny for their role in incubating the mob attack.
The CEOs of Facebook, Google, and Twitter were hauled before Congress to testify, and congressional critics of the company cited the assault as the latest reason why these companies should be stripped of their liability protections.
But amid this focus on the role of online platforms in fueling conspiracy theories about a stolen election, e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Etsy, and eBay have escaped scrutiny.
While Etsy banned QAnon-related merchandise in October and Amazon and eBay made the same commitment in late January, the success of these efforts, much like those of other social media platforms, has been mixed at best.