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With many prominent anti-vaxxers and anti-vaccine groups kicked off social media, it seems misinformation about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trial is less (oh-ho!) viral than usual, but make no mistake that it's out there.
As @ruskin147 points out, it's spreading through anti-5G groups, and also through anti-mask pages & personal networks. Academics who research conspiracy theories say that people who are into one conspiracy are more likely to believe others, so that's not surprising.
See also: Eroding trust in a) governments and b) experts. Sadly, as we've seen around the world in the last year, the vital skills of b) tend to get dragged down by poor messaging and inept responses from a).
It's worth pointing out that Pfizer/BioNTech isn't the only vaccine out there. There are around 100 in various stages of development globally, with most countries involved some way or another.
Read more here. It's written by experts: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines
Read more here. It's written by experts: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines
If you see wild claims about vaccines on your social media, step back a minute and think before you share. Here's our guide on how to spot fake news:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-51974040
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-51974040
