A widely shared social media thread and blog post claim that a member of Pfizer’s board of directors contacted the platform’s public policy manager to flag a post promoting natural immunity over vaccine immunity. The post in question claimed that immunity from COVID-19 infection was far superior to immunity from vaccination and that those who have had COVID-19 should be exempt from vaccination requirements. The post, which was not supported by scientific evidence, was flagged as misleading.
Recommendation: The high-profile nature of the source elevates the risk of this misinformation. The viral thread insinuates that the board member pressured the social media platform to “suppress debate” about the vaccine in order to ensure the vaccine manufacturer’s profit. Emphasizing that the post was removed because it was in clear violation of the platform’s COVID-19 misleading information policy is recommended. Consider countering the misinformation by explaining that research available at the time, and confirmed by more recent studies, shows that vaccination provides better and more reliable protection than infection immunity against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Fact Checking Source(s):
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