1/5: I’ve severely criticized Dr Atlas since his appointment, but make no mistake he was only one of several mouthpieces for a far reaching and deliberate antiscience disinformation initiative led by the White House foxnews.com/politics/dr-sc…
2/5: It’s major tenets: 1) downplaying severity of the pandemic, 2) attributing COVID19 deaths to other causes, 3) fake herd immunity, 4) discrediting masks, 5) discrediting scientists (including me), 6) spectacularizing their abilities, 7) hydroxychloroquine
3/5: Soon other “populist” (almost fascist, but here I need advice from the political scientists) regimes adopted similar tactics, Bolsanaro-Brasil, Duterte-Philippines, Ortega-Nicaragua, mostly far right, with devastating consequences, especially for low income essential workers
4/5: Their supporters? In US linked to far right wing extremist groups under the banner of “health freedom” “medical freedom” coming out of Texas and Oklahoma, I was the obvious target also national groups led by RFKJR who really went after me, my family, then it globalized...
5/5: In terms of globalization, the Russians, Russia 🇷🇺 Today, launched “weaponized health communication”, but we learned from CBS other news outlets how the Berlin protests with RFKJr brought on QAnon, stormed German Parliament, now protests in London sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
I have a paper under review attempting to spell out this whole dark chapter. We can trace our modern Antiscience movement to forces going back much earlier. Hoping my experience in hand-to-hand combat with antivaccine groups might make up for my deficiencies as science historian

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More from @PeterHotez

2 Dec
Many thanks ⁦@Lawrence⁩ for hosting me ⁦@TheLastWord⁩ on imminent release of first OpWarpSpeed vaccine with the hope and expectation we might have a small “fleet” of different vaccines by early next year. But they all work by inducing neutralizing antibodies. Image
Don’t wait for any particular vaccine, they all operate by inducing virus 🦠 neutralizing antibodies. Only question is durability of protection, which we won’t know anyway for at least another year. Take what’s offered both doses, and if necessary you can be boosted later
But getting virus neutralizing antibodies in your system through vaccination is the best to ensure you or your family won’t be hospitalized with #COVID19
Read 4 tweets
27 Nov
Many thanks to Jim ⁦@Acosta⁩ for hosting me in ⁦@CNNSitRoom⁩ describing our nation’s humanitarian catastrophe as #COVID19 deaths mounts. We need to do better halting surges on our ICUs that can overwhelm our healthcare heroes and mortality rates skyrocket
Highest reported COVID surges globally now in midsection of our nation, esp northern Midwest and West Texas + NM. 10/12 of worst affected states = red states where too often leaders bought into White House CoV TF disinformation campaign. With no one in charge I’m taking this on
I’m reaching out to every conservative news site that will listen. The message: No one has to die, we can save tens of thousands of lives, get them to the other side and get them vaccinated early next year
Read 4 tweets
26 Nov
Many thanks ⁦@Boris_Sanchez⁩ for hosting me on ⁦@CNNnewsroom⁩ this #Thanksgiving2020. How our nation acts in the coming weeks will determine if 500,000 Americans will lose their lives in the week or so after the inauguration vs 300,000 or somewhere in between
The only we can keep the deaths down is to halt surges on our hospitals and ICUs to give our healthcare heroes a fighting chance to save lives. The only way to halt surges is to prevent indoor gatherings, maximize social distancing, face masks for next 2-3 months before vaccines
Today I said re: #SCOTUS ruling: "This is not about our religious freedom or civil liberties. This is about all hands on deck to save lives until we get everybody vaccinated. Human life is not cheap. That #SupremeCourt ruling devalues lives."
Read 4 tweets
23 Nov
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
Read 4 tweets
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
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

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