Lifesaving science is under attack by potentially deadly misinformation, says today’s new episode of the I am BIO Podcast, which features Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf.
What’s happening: “Almost no one should be dying of COVID, given the protection that can be afforded,” says Dr. Califf. “And so, when we look at the effect of misinformation in this case, it’s literally causing people to die.”
Social media enables misinformation to fly— "...the purveyors of misinformation have gotten much more sophisticated in their ability to not only give misleading information," says Califf. "And like the snake oil salesmen of old, often they're selling alternative interventions, which are not effective and may be dangerous."
COVID was “disproportionately tragic for the Black community,” which faced a “very deliberate campaign of misinformation targeted at our communities,” said Dr. Reed Tuckson of the Black Coalition Against COVID (which BIO joined). The coalition targeted misinformation by working with Black religious leaders, health professionals, and community organizations.
But COVID misinformation still thrives: Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn recently claimed that researchers want to sneak vaccines into salads. (Actually, researchers want to make mRNA and vaccines with photosynthesis, says University of California’s Jules Bernstein.)
Despite death threats, Bernstein refuses to “be intimidated into silence,” and is working “to do a better job of explaining the science.”
Listen to the podcast at www.bio.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Stand up for Science—that's our theme for the 2023 BIO International Convention June 5th through 8th in Boston. Register today.
