Magnifying glass: misinformation about Covid-19 circulates again with high cases in Brazil

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The circulation of new strains of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, including BQ.1, has increased the number of cases of Covid-19 infection in Brazil in recent weeks. Along with the rise in infections, a new wave of misinformation about the disease is advancing on social networks and, in particular, on WhatsApp groups. Since the beginning of November, old rumors about vaccines and early treatment, denied many times, have returned to circulate.

But not everything is reheated. Unprecedented false content emerged, such as the conspiracy theory that the increase in infections would not be real —already denied by Lupa on November 11— and that the dissemination of the new wave would have the objective of making people camped in barracks in anti-democratic demonstrations return to home — which is also not true.

A survey of the most requested verification requests to Lupa via WhatsApp showed that, on November 22, two of the five requests most sent by readers were old content that had already been verified. One of them is a video that falsely claims that mRNA vaccines cause a process of inflammation in blood vessels — which was denied in February of this year.

Existence of a new variant of the coronavirus

In a week, at least two videos went viral on social media and WhatsApp falsely denying the existence of a new strain. In both cases, the authorship was attributed to people identified as doctors — one was denied on the 11th and another on the 18th of November. Although the increase in cases is real, experts consulted by Lupa clarified that BQ.1 does not cause a more serious evolution of the disease — it is just more transmissible.

vaccine safety

On WhatsApp, videos and content that question the effectiveness and safety of vaccines against Covid-19 are back on the radar. One of them is a recording in which the doctor Maria Emília Gadelha Serra, whose assertions have already been denied by several checking agencies, mistakenly claimed that mRNA vaccines, produced from the extraction of the Spike protein from the coronavirus, provoke a process of inflammation of the blood vessels—which is not true. The first time this video circulated on WhatsApp was on February 15, 2022, and since November 20, it has been shared more frequently.

Pfizer/BioNtech mRNA vaccines have been the target of misinformation throughout the pandemic and have been attacked again by fakes in recent weeks. In addition to old content, denied more than a year ago, a new video went viral in the last week in which the alleged creator of Pfizer’s vaccine would have insinuated that immunizers are neither safe nor working – which is not true.

Other videos were sent again, such as a recording that went viral in December 2021 involving the American Robert Malone, known for misinforming about vaccines. In the footage, he misleadingly says that mRNA formulas, such as Pfizer’s, produce toxic substances in children’s bodies. This is not true and was denied last year.

ivermectin treatment

Ivermectin was once again the target of false content in November 2022, mostly recycled misinformation. Since 2020, dozens of research with the medicine have been carried out and, according to the WHO (World Health Organization), the evidence so far is insufficient to confirm any efficiency against the disease.

On November 15, an old content that Japan allegedly declared that ivermectin would be more effective than vaccines, returned to WhatsApp and social networks — this is not true and was denied by Lupa on January 18 this year.

Other viral videos popped up again on social media and messaging platforms. This is the case of a recording in which the commentator of a TV program claims that the SUS would have released a study “proving” that the preventive use of ivermectin reduced by 46% the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Itajaí (SC). This is false and was denied in January of this year. In addition to having methodological flaws, the research had not yet been peer-reviewed at the time.

What is known about the new wave

In November, several new strains of the omicron strain of the coronavirus were identified by CeVivas (Center for Viral Surveillance and Serological Assessment), based at the Butantan Institute. Among them is the BQ.1 strain, detected at the end of October and with cases already registered in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Amazonas, Goiás, Rio Grande do Sul and Pernambuco, among other states.

This variant showed high transmission capacity compared to the others. In addition, although more tests are needed, experts say that it may be able to escape antibodies produced by those who have been immunized or have had the disease. By the end of October, the WHO had already detected this underlining in 65 countries.

The symptoms of this strain are similar to those of other variants: headache, cough, fever, sore throat, tiredness, loss of smell and taste. To avoid the circulation of this underlining, Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) determined, on November 22, the return of the mandatory use of masks on airplanes and airports. In addition, the Ministry of Health reported, in a note published on November 21, that boosting vaccination reduces the chances of infection or hospitalization by Covid-19.

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