The number of COVID-19 cases is increasing again, the rate of vaccination has decreased, and media platforms are under scrutiny for allowing the spread of false information about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Misinformation about health is one of the reasons some Americans choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine even when it’s available to them, said the Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy. He criticized modern technology companies for allowing the circulation of misinformation.
President Biden said that Facebook and social media companies are “killing people. The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated.”
Data shows that 99.5 percent of people who are hospitalized due to COVID-19 or who have died from the disease are unvaccinated, said press secretary Jen Psaki in a press conference.
The White House wants social media companies to take responsibility for misinformation about vaccines and take proactive measures to remove this false information, Psaki said. This includes enforcing platform policies and quickly and aggressively removing or flagging problematic posts with inaccurate information about coronavirus and the vaccine.
To get vaccinated, visit https://www.vaccines.gov/ to find a vaccination location near you and schedule an appointment.
For more facts about the vaccine, check out this webpage from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is another source with accurate information about the vaccine.
Developing COVID-19 Vaccines: This page is specifically about how the vaccine was developed and provides reassurance that the vaccine is both safe and effective.
Unity in Action Magazine is debunking several common myths about the COVID-19 vaccine. Check out our first article that disproves the notion that the vaccine was made too fast.