Fraudulent Ivermectin studies open up new battleground between science and misinformation

‘Studies suggesting ivermectin is an effective Covid treatment relied on evidence ‘that has substantially evaporated under close scrutiny’, fresh research shows...

‘On Thursday (Sept 23, 2021), the prestigious medical journal Nature Medicine published an article authored by concerned epidemiologists and researchers who interrogated studies on ivermectin. “Many hundreds of thousands of patients have been dosed with ivermectin, relying on an evidence base that has substantially evaporated under close scrutiny,” the authors wrote.

“Several … studies that claim a clinical benefit for ivermectin are similarly fraught, and contain impossible numbers in their results, unexplainable mismatches between trial registry updates and published patient demographics, purported timelines that are not consistent with the veracity of the data collection, and substantial methodological weaknesses.”

Read here (The Guardian, Sept 25, 2021)

• The lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are inherently unreliable

Read here (Nature Medicine, Sept 22, 2021)

30 facts you need to know: Your Covid cribsheet

We get a lot of e-mails and private messages along these lines “do you have a source for X?” or “can you point me to mask studies?” or “I know I saw a graph for mortality, but I can’t find it anymore”. And we understand, it’s been a long 18 months, and there are so many statistics and numbers to try and keep straight in your head.

So, to deal with all these requests, we decided to make a bullet-pointed and sourced list for all the key points. A one-stop-shop.

Here are key facts and sources about the alleged “pandemic”, that will help you get a grasp on what has happened to the world since January 2020, and help you enlighten any of your friends who might be still trapped in the New Normal:

“Covid deaths” – Lockdowns – PCR Tests – “asymptomatic infection” – Ventilators – Masks – Vaccines – Deception & Foreknowledge

PART I: “COVID DEATHS” & MORTALITY

1. The survival rate of “Covid” is over 99%.

2. There has been NO unusual excess mortality.

3. “Covid death” counts are artificially inflated.

4. The vast majority of covid deaths have serious comorbidities.

5. Average age of “Covid death” is greater than the average life expectancy.

6. Covid mortality exactly mirrors the natural mortality curve.

7. There has been a massive increase in the use of “unlawful” DNRs.

PART II: LOCKDOWNS

8. Lockdowns do not prevent the spread of disease.

9. Lockdowns kill people.

10. Hospitals were never unusually over-burdened.

PART III: PCR TESTS

11. PCR tests were not designed to diagnose illness.

12. PCR Tests have a history of being inaccurate and unreliable.

13. The CT values of the PCR tests are too high.

14. The World Health Organization (Twice) Admitted PCR tests produced false positives.

15. The scientific basis for Covid tests is questionable.

PART IV: “ASYMPTOMATIC INFECTION”

16. The majority of Covid infections are “asymptomatic”.

17. There is very little evidence supporting the alleged danger of “asymptomatic transmission”. 

PART V: VENTILATORS

18. Ventilation is NOT a treatment for respiratory viruses.

19. Ventilators killed people.

PART VI: MASKS

20. Masks don’t work.

21. Masks are bad for your health.

22. Masks are bad for the planet.

PART VII: VACCINES

23. Covid “vaccines” are totally unprecedented.

24. Vaccines do not confer immunity or prevent transmission.

25. The vaccines were rushed and have unknown longterm effects.

26. Vaccine manufacturers have been granted legal indemnity should they cause harm.

PART VIII: DECEPTION & FOREKNOWLEDGE

27. The EU was preparing “vaccine passports” at least a YEAR before the pandemic began.

28. A “training exercise” predicted the pandemic just weeks before it started.

29. Since the beginning of 2020, the Flu has “disappeared”.

30. The elite have made fortunes during the pandemic. 

Read here (OffGuardian, Sept 22, 2021)

‘It’s almost like grooming’: how anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, and the far-right came together over Covid

‘Far right nationalists, anti-vaxxers, libertarians and conspiracy theorists have come together over COVID, and capitalised on the anger and uncertainty simmering in some sections of the community. They appear to have found fertile ground particularly among men who feel alienated, fearful about their employment and who spend a lot of time at home scrolling social media and encrypted messaging apps.’

Read here (The Conversation, Sept 21, 2021)

Governments are using Covid-19 as an excuse to crack down on press freedom

‘Cases abound of how the “Covid-19 excuse” has led to the inability of journalists to do their job of reporting medically endorsed effective public health measures, or to challenge lethal disinformation...

‘According to RSF’s [Reporters Without Borders] data, journalism is currently completely blocked or seriously impeded in 73 countries and constrained in 59 countries. Taken together, these figures represent 73% of the 180 countries assessed. Only 12 out of the countries ranked are deemed to have a free and favorable environment for journalism (one fewer than last year): Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Costa Rica, Netherlands, Jamaica, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, and Ireland.’

Read here (Nieman Lab, Apr 21, 2021)

Social media influencers are spreading wild rumours about Covid-19 vaccines and periods

‘It will be an uphill battle to quell the rumours that have already spread...

‘Over the last few days, social media accounts from those opposed to vaccines have begun to promote the outlandish idea that simply being around people who have been vaccinated causes menstrual issues and even miscarriage. The first, as far as I can tell, was Kim Alberts, a self-described “health and medical freedom” enthusiast who runs an Instagram account with more than 64,000 followers. Albert’s previous posts read like a greatest hits list of health misinformation and conspiracy theories: She warns of the dangers of chemtrails and extols the virtues of coffee enemas. In recent posts, Albert has shared anecdotes supposedly submitted by thousands of her followers who have “caught” cycle changes from vaccinated people.’

Read here (Mother Jones, Apr 20, 2021)

Covid-19, lies and statistics: Corruption and the pandemic

• Data on COVID-19 deaths and cases goes underreported in many countries
• Malpractice in procurement of vaccines, protective equipment is widespread
• Corruption and secrecy is putting lives at risk, experts warn

‘From Brazil to the Philippines, secretive governments across the world are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by covering up data and bypassing public procurement rules, undermining trust in health systems, fuelling anti-vaxxers and putting immunisation campaigns at risk.

‘Clandestine contracts for medical goods and services have become the norm in many countries, while data on COVID-19 cases and deaths has been manipulated and underreported.

‘Authorities and heads of states have used the pandemic as an opportunity to gut public bodies dedicated to openness and communication, with the worst offenders forming a rogues’ gallery of coronavirus offenders.’

Read here (SciDev, Apr 6, 2021)

The pandemic’s wrongest man [in the US]

‘In this crowded field of wrongness, one voice stands out. The voice of Alex Berenson: the former New York Times reporter, Yale-educated novelist, avid tweeter, online essayist, and all-around pandemic gadfly. Berenson has been serving up COVID-19 hot takes for the past year, blithely predicting that the United States would not reach 500,000 deaths (we’ve surpassed 550,000) and arguing that cloth and surgical masks can’t protect against the coronavirus (yes, they can).

‘Berenson has a big megaphone. He has more than 200,000 followers on Twitter and millions of viewers for his frequent appearances on Fox News’ most-watched shows. On Laura Ingraham’s show, he downplayed the vaccines, suggesting that Israel’s experience proved they were considerably less effective than initially claimed. On Tucker Carlson Tonight, he predicted that the vaccines would cause an uptick in cases of COVID-related illness and death in the U.S...’

Read here (The Atlantic, Apr 1, 2021)

How many anti-vaxxers does it take to misinform the world? Just twelve

‘A majority of anti-vaccine propaganda can apparently be traced back to a handful of people. While de-platforming them is sometimes appropriate, there is a bigger, better solution...

‘Misinformation is never going to go away; it isn’t just a Big Tech problem, it’s an education problem. Instead of just yelling at tech companies, politicians should be focusing on what Taiwan’s digital minister calls “nerd immunity” – the government should be investing in education so people have the skills to identify fake news...

‘Finland, which was rated Europe’s most resistant nation to fake news last year, is one model of how you do this. In 2014, after an increase in disinformation from Russia, the government embedded media literacy in the national curriculum. Starting in primary school, kids learn the critical thinking skills needed to parse the modern information ecosystem. Students learn how easy it is to manipulate statistics in their maths lessons, for example. They learn how to distinguish satire from conspiracy theories in their Finnish lessons. They look at how images can be used for propaganda in art class. And this sort of education isn’t just given to children: Finnish civil servants, journalists and NGO workers are also trained in digital literacy skills.’

Read here (The Guardian, Mar 30, 2021)

These moms work as doctors and scientists. But they've also taken on another job: Fighting Covid-19 misinformation online

‘While experts throughout the U.S. are trying to tackle misinformation and persuade Americans to get their shots when they become eligible, these doctor-scientist moms believe they are uniquely positioned to make the case. Not only do they have the expertise to answer medical questions and clear up misperceptions, but they can relate to the people they encounter on social media as fellow parents who also want what’s best for their families and communities. They film video Q&As and explain how the safety standards were met in the development of currently authorized COVID-19 vaccines. They interview one another to reach a wider audience through Instagram and YouTube. They warn each other about strategies that trolls may use to drag them into arguments.’

Read here (Time magazine, Mar 24, 2021)

The doomsday prophecy of Dr Geert Vanden Bossche

‘The COVID-19 pandemic has attracted a swarm of vocal contrarians like little else in the recent past. These public commentators, often bedazzled with advanced degrees, have painted themselves as brave mavericks escaping from the mainstream herd to denounce the cataclysmic consequences of public health measures. The latest example of this phenomenon comes in the form of Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche, who recently published an alarming manifesto. In it, Dr. Bossche makes a number of incorrect or exaggerated claims about the use of mass vaccination during a pandemic and urges international health authorities to stop the current crop of COVID-19 vaccines or else risk unleashing “a global catastrophe without equal.” This is scary stuff, but it’s all quite misguided.’

Read here (McGill Office for Science and Society, Mar 24, 2021)

Michael Yeadon: The ex-Pfizer scientist who became an anti-vax hero

‘Late last year, a semi-retired British scientist co-authored a petition to Europe’s medicines regulator. The petitioners made a bold demand: Halt COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. Even bolder was their argument for doing so: They speculated, without providing evidence, that the vaccines could cause infertility in women.

‘The document appeared on a German website on Dec.1. Scientists denounced the theory. Regulators weren’t swayed, either: Weeks later, the European Medicines Agency approved the European Union’s first COVID-19 shot, co-developed by Pfizer Inc. But damage was already done.

‘Social media quickly spread exaggerated claims that COVID-19 jabs cause female infertility. Within weeks, doctors and nurses in Britain began reporting that concerned women were asking them whether it was true, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists. In January, a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a non-profit organization, found that 13% of unvaccinated people in the United States had heard that “COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to cause infertility.”

‘What gave the debunked claim credibility was that one of the petition’s co-authors, Michael Yeadon, wasn’t just any scientist. The 60-year-old is a former vice president of Pfizer, where he spent 16 years as an allergy and respiratory researcher. He later co-founded a biotech firm that the Swiss drugmaker Novartis purchased for at least $325 million.’

Read here (Reuters, Mar 18, 2021)

On the psychology of the conspiracy denier

‘We know, without question, that politicians lie and hide their connections and that corporations routinely display utter contempt for moral norms – that corruption surrounds us. We know that revolving doors between the corporate and political spheres, the lobbying system, corrupt regulators, the media and judiciary mean that wrongdoing is practically never brought to any semblance of genuine justice. We know that the press makes noise about these matters occasionally but never pursues them with true 

‘So exactly what is it that conspiracy deniers refuse to acknowledge with such fervour, righteousness and condescension? Why, against all the evidence, do they sneeringly and contemptuously defend the crumbling illusion that ‘the great and good’ are up there somewhere, have everything in hand, have only our best interests at heart, and are scrupulous, wise and sincere? That the press serves the people and truth rather than the crooks? That injustice after injustice result from mistakes and oversights, and never from that dread word: conspiracy?’

\Read here (OffGuardian, Mar 12, 2021)

Fake news law is government’s attempt to silence voice of every citizen — National Union of Journalists Peninsular Malaysia

‘The National Union of Journalists Peninsular Malaysia (NUJM) expresses its grave concern over the  government’s move to gazette an ordinance purportedly to combat “fake news” relating to Covid-19 or  the Emergency proclamation. NUJ Malaysia is not agreeing to this kind of step backwards action taken as it seems like the ruling  government is trying to silent the voice of every citizen regardless of their race, religion or various  background.

‘We called on the government’s plan of setting up the Media Council to be revived and accelerate just to tackle any issues regarding to media practitioners especially journalists who are in the frontline. The union is in the view that Media Council can also be in charge of looking into the alleged fake news crime committed instead of the government having to gazette new laws to tackles this. This in turn will  display transparency over the alleged crime committed.’

Read here (Malay Mail, Mar 12, 2021)

Bar council slams ‘disturbing’ new fake news law

‘The latest clampdown on fake news comes as a shock for lawyers, with Bar Council president Salim Bashir describing the powers the government has given itself to clamp down on such news as “disturbing”. Speaking to FMT, he also said the “imprecise definition” of fake news that includes anything related to Covid-19 and the proclamation of emergency, was “worrisome.”

‘Gazetted today, the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 penalises those who create, publish or distribute fake news with a fine of up to RM100,000, a jail term of up to three years or both. If they fail to apologise after being ordered to do so by the court, they can be fined an additional RM50,000, and those who pay to “create” such news can be fined up to RM500,000. All fines come with jail terms as well.’

Read here (Free Malaysia Today, Mar 12, 2021)

‘A conflict of interest mars paper on Ayurvedic Covid drug Coronil – and it should be retracted’

‘Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his FMCG company Patanjali Ayurved have recently been in the news for advancing a supposedly Ayurvedic drug named Coronil as the “first evidence-based medicine” for COVID-19. But despite the dubiety of this claim, Coronil has been approved for sale by the Government of India on the sole basis of a scientific paper, published in the journal Phytomedicine in February 2021.

‘A previous article discussed the wobbly assertions in the paper and their mismatch with Patanjali’s conclusion that Coronil has been properly tested or that it is efficacious. But there is another bit of detail that may disqualify the paper’s publication itself. In the paper’s ‘Declaration of Competing Interest’ section, the authors say:

“Authors declare no conflict of interests with regards to the submitted work. The medications were provided by Divya Pharmacy, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. Acharya Balkrishna is an honorary trustee in Divya Yog Mandir Trust. Besides, providing the medications, Divya Pharmacy was not involved in any aspect of the clinical trial reported in this study. Clinical trial was conducted at National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, India.”

Read here (Science TheWire, Mar 3, 2021)

Coronil: The misleading claims about an Indian remedy

‘A controversial herbal concoction has been in the news again in India, with renewed claims that it is effective against coronavirus. The substance, called Coronil, was launched recently at an event attended by some Indian government ministers. But there is no evidence that it works, and misleading claims have been made about approval for its use.’

Read here (BBC, Mar 2, 2021) 

Trump’s false posts were treated with kid gloves by Facebook

‘In August, as the election approached and misinformation about COVID-19 spread, Facebook announced it would give new fact-checking labels to posts, including more nuanced options than simply “false.” But data from The Markup’s Citizen Browser project, which tracks a nationwide panel of Facebook users’ feeds, shows how unevenly those labels were applied: Posts were rarely called “false,” even when they contained debunked conspiracy theories. And posts by Donald Trump were treated with the less direct flags, even when they contained lies. The Markup shared the underlying data for this story with Facebook.’

Read here (The Markup,  Feb 16, 2021)

Sensationalising, misrepresenting facts does disservice to people: Jeyakumar Devaraj

‘Yesterday morning, I came across an article titled “UK Government releases shocking report on Covid vaccine side effects” in one of the WhatsApp chat groups I am in. This article by dailyexpose.co.uk, dated 9 February 2021, states that 70,500 adverse reactions were reported in the 6.9 million people vaccinated in the UK between 8 December 2020 and 24 January 2021.

‘The article says five people went blind, 21 suffered strokes, 69 developed facial nerve weakness (Bell’s Palsy) and 107 died because of the Covid vaccine they received.

‘This is a terribly unscientific way of looking at the data. People get sick, suffer various maladies and die even when not vaccinated. So, we need to check whether the incidence of each of these adverse events is actually higher in the vaccinated cohort when compared to the baseline figures for that population. If it is, then it could be possible that the vaccine predisposes to these conditions, and we would have to look more closely.

‘Let’s take the deaths first. According to the UK Office for National Registration, in 2019 there were 1,079.4 deaths per 100,000 males and 798.9 deaths per 100,000 females – over the whole year.

‘The 107 deaths observed in the 6.9 million vaccinated individuals gives a mortality rate of 1.6 per 100,000 – over seven weeks. If we annualise it by multiplying 1.6 by 52 and dividing it by 7, we arrive at a figure of 11.5 per 100,000 – much lower than the UK Crude Death Rate (CDR) for 2019 (CDR = overall death rate without breaking it down into death rates for each age group). These figures indicate that it would be difficult to sustain an argument that the Covid vaccine increases the risk of dying in the UK population.’

Read here (Aliran, Feb 15, 2021)

Anatomy of a conspiracy: With Covid, China took leading role

‘From Beijing and Washington to Moscow and Tehran, political leaders and allied media effectively functioned as superspreaders, using their stature to amplify politically expedient conspiracies already in circulation. But it was China -- not Russia – that took the lead in spreading foreign disinformation about COVID-19’s origins, as it came under attack for its early handling of the outbreak.

‘A nine-month Associated Press investigation of state-sponsored disinformation conducted in collaboration with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, shows how a rumor that the U.S. created the virus that causes COVID-19 was weaponized by the Chinese government, spreading from the dark corners of the Internet to millions across the globe. The analysis was based on a review of millions of social media postings and articles on Twitter, Facebook, VK, Weibo, WeChat, YouTube, Telegram and other platforms.’

Read here (Associated Press, Feb 15, 2021)

As vaccinations lag, Israel combats online misinformation

‘After surging ahead in the race to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus, Israel is blaming online misinformation for a sudden slowdown in the campaign. Now, officials are fighting back.

‘Israel’s Health Ministry, which is spearheading the vaccination efforts, is employing both warnings and incentives as it tries to persuade reluctant holdouts to get immunized. It has beefed up a digital task force to counter spurious claims about the vaccines, while local governments are turning to DJs and free food to lure people to vaccination centers. Concerts and museums could soon be off limits to the unvaccinated.’

Read here (AP, Feb 15, 2021)