More than 30% of US citizens blame COVID vaccines for increased deaths

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Aug 2023 16:21
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A new survey seeking to understand how US citizens perceive information and identify misinformation found that while US citizens still trust government organizations in terms of health, most place their trust in individual doctors.

COVID tests are set up inside the medical intake tent during a media tour of a shelter in New York City, Tuesday, August 15, 2023. (AP)

COVID-19 vaccines are “probably or definitely true” behind the death of thousands of healthy people according to 30% of Americans, based on a recently conducted survey.

The survey, conducted by the Health Misinformation Tracking Poll, and published by KFF, polled thousands of US citizens with the aim of understanding where they stand vis-a-vis the medical information from news outlets, government officials, or social media.

The poll concluded that "Medical misinformation is a problem, leaving many confused as to what does and does not constitute factual information."

According to KFF, the survey presented respondents with 10 distinct false claims that have been disclosed on social media, including topics related to COVID and vaccines, reproductive health, and gun violence the respondents were then asked if they had heard of them, and whether they believed them.

Significantly, about 96% of those surveyed said they did hear at least one of the claims related to COVID and vaccines. Out of the 96%, about 65% acknowledged that they had heard that "COVID vaccines caused the sudden deaths of thousands of otherwise healthy people." However, only 34% believed these claims were “probably or definitely true.”

The poll additionally found that while individual doctors were regarded as the most dependable source of information, responses to the survey revealed that there is a reasonable level of trust in government organizations like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Twitter Files sequel: Pfizer pressed Twitter to hide anti-vax posts

The latest Twitter Files sequel unmasked that Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a Pfizer director with almost 550,000 Twitter followers, noticed a tweet, on August 27, 2021, that irritated him, a tweet that could harm Pfizer's mRNA vaccine sales.

The tweet correctly stated that natural immunity following Covid infection was superior to vaccination protection. It urged the administration to "respect the research" and exempt persons with inherent immunity from forthcoming vaccine mandates.

The tweet may create concerns about the shots by implying that certain people may not require Covid vaccines. Gottlieb was a senior board member at Pfizer, which relied on mRNA shots for about half of its $81 billion in sales in 2021, in addition to being a former FDA commissioner, a CNBC commentator, and a major voice on Covid public policy. Gottlieb was paid $365,000 for his work that year by Pfizer.

Gottlieb stepped in, sending an email to Todd O'Boyle, a key lobbyist at Twitter's Washington office who also served as the company's point of contact with the White House.

"The post was corrosive," Gottlieb wrote. He was concerned that it would "go viral and drive national coverage."

O'Boyle submitted Gottlieb's email to the Twitter "Strategic Response" team using Jira, an internal system Twitter utilized to manage complaints. This organization was in charge of dealing with issues raised by the company's most important workers and users.

"Please examine this report from the former FDA commissioner," O'Boyle wrote, overlooking the fact that Gottlieb was a Pfizer board member with a financial stake in pushing mRNA shots. The tweet was then flagged, despite much research supporting the claim.

It is worth noting that Gottlieb is one of seven members of the board's executive committee and the chairman of the regulatory and compliance committee, which is in charge of "compliance with laws, regulations, and internal processes pertaining to pharmaceutical sales and marketing activities."

Pfizer has a long history of breaking pharma industry laws and ethical guidelines. For unlawfully selling multiple medications, it agreed to pay $2.3 billion in 2009, the largest healthcare fraud settlement in US history. In 1996, it conducted a clinical study of an antibiotic in Nigeria, which resulted in the deaths of 11 children and served as the idea for John le Carre's novel The Constant Gardner.