Skip to Content

Surgeon general warns Covid misinformation is ‘serious public threat’

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned in a new advisory that health misinformation is "a serious threat to public health," as administration officials grow increasingly concerned about misleading claims about coronavirus vaccines.

Murthy appeared at Thursday's White House press briefing to discuss the newly-released 22-page advisory. (You can watch it in the video player at the top of this article.)

"I am urging all Americans to help slow the spread of health misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond," Murthy said. "Health misinformation is a serious threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, harm people's health, and undermine public health efforts. Limiting the spread of health misinformation is a moral and civic imperative that will require a whole-of-society effort."

The stark statement from the surgeon general comes as dangerous falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines are swirling and as health experts warn of the Delta variant's increasing spread among un-vaccinated Americans.

Nationwide vaccination rates are dropping, while in 46 states, the rates of new Covid cases this past week are at least 10% higher than the rates of new cases the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Murthy warned that "misinformation has caused confusion and led people to decline Covid-19 vaccines, reject public health measures such as masking and physical distancing, and use unproven treatments." The advisory does not only apply to the Covid-19 pandemic, but was prompted by it, according to an administration official.

Murthy also said that misinformation "has also led to harassment of and violence against public health workers, health professionals, airline staff, and other front-line workers tasked with communicating evolving public health measures."

Murthy noted there is a historical context to his warning, referencing how false beliefs that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine caused autism caused vaccine levels to drop and the denial that HIV causes AIDS reduced access to treatment in the past. He also highlights how the "rapidly changing information environment" — social media platforms and new publications — has made it easier for misinformation to spread, citing a study that false news stories "were 70 percent more likely to be shared on social media than true stories."

The advisory lays out recommendations for families, health professionals, researchers, educators, media, funders, government and technology platforms, and urges individuals to take responsibility to limit the spread of misinformation.

"Before posting or sharing an item on social media, for example, we can take a moment to verify whether the information is accurate and whether the original source is trustworthy," it reads. "If we're not sure, we can choose not to share."

The White House is preparing to push back more aggressively on vaccine disinformation as vaccinations have dropped. This advisory is not part of that effort but will be used by officials as they call attention to the dangers of vaccine misinformation, according to an official.

The divide between vaccinated and un-vaccinated has begun to break along political lines, with Democratic-leaning areas ahead of Republican ones in vaccination rates. Officials attribute part of the reason for the discrepancies to messages repeated in conservative media that question why people need the vaccine and that President Joe Biden's attempts to get the country vaccinated amount to government overreach.

Article Topic Follows: Coronavirus

Jump to comments ↓

Author Profile Photo

ABC News

Author Profile Photo

CNN

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KVIA ABC 7 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content