Thread by @just1doctorwala

I tweeted this earlier today before my shift just after
I had read the thread. A mutual had DMed it to me. I was debating how best to respond to it. The problem with such a "fact check" if we can call it that is how to avoid attacking the messenger instead of the message itself.

But the more I thought about it the more I realized the messenger needs to be talked about as well.

Because...

Credibility

That's what it all comes down to

In the age of misinformation, the credibility of certain people is higher than others and with that comes responsibility

When someone with a famous name, or 10s of thousands of followers on social media, or someone with a "Dr." in their name posts something there is an inherent in built credibility to that message

I too enjoy that privilege I won't deny that.

So with that in mind, I thought I would try to understand and explain in my own way why I feel this thread is extremely problematic. But I decided I would tackle it both the message and the respective messengers as well. The rest is up to you to decide. These are my views.

So it all started with this thread. Bit of a doomsday "why you should avoid.." title but let's leave that for later shall we?
"The Oxford Vaccine or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) was developed at the Jenner Institute of the Oxford University in the UK"

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957545808384000?s=20

"It is licensed from British drugmaker AstraZeneca & is currently undergoing phase 3 clinical trials worldwide. The Oxford vaccine candidate is seen as one of the most promising within the race to produce a safe effective jab against COVID-19."

This is all from their own media spiel hence why I put in the ""

Meanwhile Serum Institute of India are in partnership with AstraZeneca to bring it to India as soon as possible.

So far we are on the same page, except for the why we "should avoid"

but let's get into the thread

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Famous name

automatically we sub consciously begin to feel that this thread is important. It has some CREDIBILTY. I mean it is a Kennedy after all.

But hang on... "to all my patients"

was he a doctor? I dont know, let's Google

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957548463386626?s=20

so a few seconds later a quick Google search reveals...

oh dear...

not a doctor, but a lawyer
and a "vocal anti-vaccinationist"

not off to a good start at all are we..

#AntiVaxxer

But we are simply attacking the messenger aren't we?

Let's try and read what he has to say.

I'm going to use screen shots from now on to cover multiple tweets.

Lots of big science-y words there

2nd screen shot is from a friend whose response would be the typical average person reaction

Sorry (you know who you are) for using your DM to me 🤪

First of all a big fat NO
Bunch of half truth and falsehoods already.

Let's start with the basics

There are different approaches to creating a vaccine, and different groups are trying different methods.

Here are the different methods

source - chop.edu/centers-progra…

So as you can see there are different methods.

Which method is Oxford using? Well they explained it on their own page.

They are trying to develop a vaccine using an adenovirus vector platform. No mention of mRNA anywhere.

here - covid19vaccinetrial.co.uk/about

In the meantime Pfizer published results of its phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials for its mRNA-based vaccine platform in the journal Nature. Moderna is now entering phase 3 trials for its mRNA platform for Covid-19

source - vox.com/2020/8/13/2135…

But what about the fears regarding mRNA vaccine?

Loads of bull shit to sift through here

But the bottom line is, mRNA or any such thing, CANNOT interfere with your genetics.

A human being once fully formed and born, has fixed genetic material. It is what gives you your hair colour and eye colour or how tall or short you are. It is FIXED. PERMANENTLY.

That's why now matter how hard I try I will never be as tall as the legend Shaquille O'Neal

Our genetic material is fixed till we die. There are studies in gene manipulation on going, but as off now most countries have been gene manipulation of human beings. However gene maipulation of plants and animals are on going. GM crops for example I'm sure you have heard.

But don't take my word for it, take it from a virologist. Someone who studies viruses, DNA and mRNA etc for a living. This thread is superbly written. Go read it and then come back here . Better than m explaining how mRNA vaccines work.

https://twitter.com/Subhashitani1/status/1322992324557889541?s=20

so already within the first few tweets we have some huge huge problems and lies and misconceptions

is there really any need to push on further?

ok ok if you say so

don't blame me if your brain feels fried after all this bullshit

Bull shit and more bull shit
refer to thread on mRNA by @Subhashitani1

oooh now this tweet
this tweet is a doozy
remember earlier I said your genetic make up is fixed & permanent? Well here he is actually saying the same thing.
EXCEPT
these defects occur in pregnancy during the embryonic stage & unfortunately is "forever"

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957578121273344?s=20

this is a fact of our biology and there are some people thinking about how to reverse these defects in the emryonic stage itself

but unfortunately human gene manipulation is banned as i mentioned

in fact one doctor did try

remember him?

wsj.com/articles/how-a…

anyways lets get back to the thread

no it doesnt
already explained above

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957581854203909?s=20

typical opinion of an anti vaxxer

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957586002370560?s=20

Ok a doctor's name thrown in

more credibility

let's check him out

Wolfgang Wodarg is a German physician and politician for Social Democratic Party of Germany

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957589781475331?s=20

I couldn't find a single source of him saying those words but I did find this article of him being part of a committee where he was questioning the WHO response to the pandemic and was asking about the role of big pharma in making the vaccines

source - cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspecti…

no source for any of this

and by now I'm too lazy to seach for it myelf

but we already saw the Oxford vaccine is NOT mRNA so none of this is valid anyways..

this tweet is ACTUALLY TRUE

probably the only truth in this whole thread so far

this is exactly how mRNA works

not how this is put at the end after already scaring you to wits end by all the above bullshit

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957594982375426?s=20

let's move on to the Q&A section?

True

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957597448658945?s=20

Bull shit
there is NO CURE hence why we are looking for a vaccine to prevent people from getting the infection
Once you are infected the body's has to fight the virus and the medications we provide are SUPPORTIVE only
This is virus infection treatment 101

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957599851991040?s=20

more anti vaxxer talking points

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957603110969345?s=20

never heard of this group
please link me something about them

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957605967310848?s=20

5. from the first bloody page of WHO webpage on coviv19🤦‍♂️

source - who.int/emergencies/di…

6. true

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957609742131202?s=20

2% of all infected people will dieis what all doctors and scientists agree upon
and so far the global numbers seem to be matching

there is no "appropriate medicine" -"do as your doctor says" is good advice

"strengthen the immune system" is bull shit

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957613013688320?s=20

"strengthen the immune system" is bull shit

here is John Oliver talking about the scam that is "supplements"

Unfortunately this is true

and here in India this discrepancy is far far worse

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322957620647399425?s=20

So what is your conclusion after all this?

Oh wait there is one little thing left.

Seems our lovely friend is a PhD research student in Cambridge University

A Molecular Biologist no less

The whole world knows about the hated rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford don't we?

surely this can't just be that

dumping on your rival? for what ulterior motive?

oh hand on a tick

seems Cambridge is working on their own vaccine

and our PhD is maybe probably part of this team?

https://twitter.com/candinam/status/1322917252421672967?s=20

I'm sure to be blocked by her at the end of all this

thank you for your time

and

Dear @candinam,

sorry for calling you out like this

but I couldn't just stand by and let so much bullshit slide on a Monday

live long and prosper 🖖

*banned

*note

Easier to copy paste WhatsApp forwards

much more effort to disprove them

"a lie travels around the world twice before the truth has a chance to put its shoes on"

i just realized the original tweet never got attached to the first tweet of this thread

i'm such a klutz!

https://twitter.com/just1doctorwala/status/1323107465227980800?s=20

let me end by making one final comment

I'm not going to tell you to take or not take these vaccines

all i am going to tell you is

we practice evidence based medicine

studies/trials are on going

let them all publish their findings

then we can all make a sound judgment! 🙏