Seeing antivaxxers try to use the existence of breakthrough cases of #COVID19 after #CovidVaccine as some sort of slam-dunk proof that the vaccines don't work is causing flashbacks to antivaxxers claiming that MMR doesn't work because some kids get measles after being vaccinated.
Truly, everything old is new again. I (and my fellow vaccine advocates) have been warning that antivaxxers would use this tactic to demonize #CovidVaccine for months now, as well as others. None of the disinformation techniques used by antivaxxers is a surprise to us.
Basically, no vaccine is 100% effective. There will always be vaccine failures. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are nearly as effective against #COVID19 as MMR is against measles, but none of these vaccines has perfect effectiveness.
In the middle of a pandemic, OF COURSE there will be people who get #COVID19 after having received #CovidVaccine. The question is the odds. You're MUCH less likely to get COVID or die from it if you are vaccinated against it. Vaccines work, and they work very well. /end
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I've been warning about the likelihood of antivaxxers arming themselves and becoming violent for years. Now it appears to be on the verge of happening, with "Mamalitia." 1/
The receipts begin. Five years ago, I first started becoming concerned about the increasingly violent rhetoric and imagery used by the antivaccine movement. 2/ respectfulinsolence.com/2015/12/03/the…
This explains a lot. I like to refer to it as the cult of the brave maverick doctor. @AAPSonline epitomizes this attitude that EBM-based doctors are “sheep” following the “herd.”
Here’s a hint. Andrew Wakefield is a brave maverick doctor. So is Scott Atlas. Stanislaw Burzynski is a brave maverick doctor too. Jay Bhattacharya of #GreatBarringtonDeclaration has revealed himself to be a brave maverick doctor. 2/
Brave mavericks are contrarians. Occasionally (very occasionally) they can be correct, but far more often they are not. They often have a tendency to stray further and further from God science in pursuit of being a maverick. 3/
@GYamey Interesting question. After all, you'd think that a safe and effective vaccine would be appealing to them as a tool to end the pandemic faster without lockdowns or business restrictions, wouldn't you?
@GYamey@aier Here's what I mean. The whole reason #GreatBarringtonDeclaration and @aier are so against public health interventions to slow the spread of #COVID19 is based on "freedom" and a resentment of anything that they see infringing on that "freedom," particularly business "freedom." 3/
WTF, @PostOpinions? Publishing an article demonizing pollution by pesticides (specifically glyphosate) by two major antivaxxers? I mean, seriously, Stephanie Seneff and Jennifer Margulis? 1/ washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Whenever I see anyone describing those countering medical disinformation as “tribal,” those spreading misinformation as “thinking for themselves” or “encouraging thought,” and the process of countering disinformation as “debate,” I know I’m not dealing with a serious argument. 1/
Indeed, whether he realizes it or not, John’s portrayal of the situation with respect to #COVID19 disinformation is EXACTLY the same portrayal of vaccine advocates I’ve seen from antivaxxers going back to when I first noticed that there were antivaxxers. 2/
Antivaxxers love to portray themselves as iconoclasts, as “thinking for themselves,” all while portraying science advocates as close-minded and tribal and their efforts as “fostering thought and debate.” So do quacks. So do climate science deniers. 3/
What most pundits, scientists, and doctors don't realize is that this is not a new alliance. Rather, it's the fruition of an effort by antivaxxers to court the far right. It started by portraying school vaccine mandates as an unacceptable government assault on "freedom." 1/
Contrary to the view of many who always thought that the antivax movement was all hippy dippy crunchy lefties, antivax beliefs have always been roughly equally prevalent on the right and the left. Even @iamsambee got this wrong years ago. 2/ respectfulinsolence.com/2014/06/04/the…
Indeed, there has long been a strong right-wing conspiratorial wing of the antivaccine movement, dating back at least to the John Birch Society. Anyone ever hear of General Bert Stubblebine III’s Natural Solutions Foundation? 3/