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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD Profile picture
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23 Nov, 4 tweets, 1 min read
1/3: Hitting herd immunity by May? It’s possible but 3 stars would have to align: 1) Widespread vaccination, our paper with @bruce_y_lee showed 70% coverage 2) OWS must shape implement communications plan, and then there’s 3) which so far no government agency or nonprofit will do
2/3: Shaping or promoting pro vaccine messages will get us only 30-40% of the way there. They = messages in bottles floating in the Atlantic Ocean, and tone deaf to antivaccine Antiscience empire now dominating the internet: I know this because I’m one of their lead targets
3/3: As the “OG Villain” as RFK Jr publicly names me, I point out >480 fake antivaccine websites, amplified on SM, e-commerce platforms, dedicated well funded antivaccine orgs funded by right wing extremist groups, wellness industry, also Russian “weaponized health communication
Until our nation develops an appetite for dismantling the Antiscience confederacy or empire we won’t achieve herd immunity goals. I’m mostly an outlier on this particular viewpoint

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More from @PeterHotez

Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD Profile picture
22 Nov
Been doing this the last few weekends, and I feel it's important to continue: I'm thinking tonight about our real American heroes: RNs LPNs PAs MDs DOs lab techs, respiratory techs, clerks, administrators, saving lives tonight in the Heartland ND SD WY IA ID MN and West Texas
As the Left and the Right spar, as Democrats and Republicans jockey for position, you respond as real Americans do, and say, "God blessed me with knowledge and abilities to save lives and she told me told me this is what I need to do right now"
And this is what you do, you kiss your loved ones goodbye, put on PPE, face masks, shields, and do what you trained for, as lives lost in our Heartland and West Texas, you are our last hope. Don't know what to say, except profound thank you. You inspire me, eternally grateful
Read 4 tweets
Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD Profile picture
19 Nov
I don’t claim to have the answers but ultimately it was the Antiscience disinformation campaign from the Russian Government, together with the Atlas-led WH CoV TF, Texas-led “health freedom” campaigns, and national groups that massively expanded the deaths from COVID19 in America
Their major vehicles were 480 Antiscience websites and Facebook, while Amazon was overwhelmingly the largest promoter of fake health freedom antivaccine and anti Covid books 📚. Some of it amplified by Murdoch media holdings
Unless we stop the nonsense and begin dismantling the Antiscience confederacy or empire, the deaths will mount, our nation will be further destabilized. I’m doing my best to speak to conservative news outlets, to save 150,000 additional Americans lives in Heartland + Texas by Feb
Read 6 tweets
Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD Profile picture
18 Nov
This is known as “weaponized health communication” its use on social media was first introduced by the Russian Government under Putin, but was later adopted by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, amplified by Scott Atlas, and now apparently Sen. Paul also finds it appealing
It has a consistent pattern since late spring: 1) downplay severity of the virus 🦠, 2) attribute #COVID19 hospitalizations or deaths to other causes, 3) fake concepts of herd immunity, 22% according to the Senator, 4) discredit masks, 5) spectacularize questionable RXs
Similar tactics adopted by Bolsanaro in Brazil 🇧🇷, Duterte in Philippines 🇵🇭, Ortega In Nicaragua 🇳🇮 and other ideologues, populist regimes
Read 4 tweets
Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD Profile picture
15 Nov
NEW TEXAS THREAD 1/12: Thought I would update on where I think we stand in #TexasCovid19.

Trigger Warning: Mostly it's bad news, but there is also some good news. The good news is that for the first time the bad news has brackets, but Nov-Feb will be rough for us
NEW TEXAS THREAD 2/12: Overall, sorry to say Texas leads the nation in COVID-19 cases. We would probably also lead the nation in COVID-19 deaths were it not for the March-April epidemic that hit New York after the virus entered from Europe in Jan-Feb
NEW TEXAS THREAD 3/12: We're now seeing a new and massive surge, number of new confirmed cases again hitting 10,000 as it did over the summer, except this time it's going to continue. Also now deaths starting to increase
Read 12 tweets
Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD Profile picture
14 Nov
The use of “scamdemic” not an accident, it was part of a deliberate Antiscience disinformation campaign led by White House CoV TF to downplay severity of epidemic, attribute #COVID19 deaths to other causes, promote fake herd immunity, dismiss masks, I saw it unfold in May-June
I remember when I first put it all together that this was a systematic coordinated Antiscience disinformation initiative, unfortunately because I’m the lead target 🎯 of the US antivaccine movement (RFK Jr publicly designated me the “OG Villain”) I’ve had to become an expert
For that reason I had to identify and call it out. The Trump White House, the CoV Task Force, and later Atlas put me in a difficult position: In order to defend science and scientists and save lives, I had to rise up against it all. Going toe to toe with those guys was not fun
Read 5 tweets
Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD Profile picture
12 Nov
Many thanks ⁦@JohnBerman⁩ ⁦@AlisynCamerota⁩ for hosting me ⁦@NewDay⁩ with ⁦@margarettalev⁩ I became an MD PhD physician-scientist to use science to save lives. Now we’re approaching 2,000 deaths per day, we can prevent all these deaths by applying science
We can now save 150,000 lives by Jan 20, 2021, lives lost from #COVID19 predominantly in red states. Given POTUS is missing in action we need prominent Republicans to call on the Governors, local officials to implement mask mandates, social distancing to halt hospital surges.
We don’t have to do this in perpetuity, good vaccines are coming. Right now we can save the lives of 150,000 mothers fathers brothers sisters across the Heartland. Prevent an unfolding humanitarian tragedy becoming a slaughter
Read 4 tweets

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