Campaign with influencers and scientists on TikTok needed to counter anti-vaccine ‘misinformation’, say experts

A British-made coronavirus vaccine, which has been the target of disinformation campaigns from Russia and other online lobbies.

Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo

A social media campaign involving influencers and scientists on TikTok is needed to counter anti-vaccine “misinformation”, experts have said.

Religious leaders and prominent figures in black and minority ethnic (BAME) communities have also been mooted as a means to counter the widespread disinformation that exists around prospective vaccines for Covid-19.

Dr Daisy Fancourt, an epidemiologist and the lead investigator of the Covid Social Study, told the London Assembly health committee: “Lots of misinformation and fake news has been circulating already about vaccines and that will only intensify until we have a vaccine because people will have a target that they might exploit to try and wobble people.”

“There’s not been much use so far of social media influencers but things like that we know are very effective at getting people on side.”

Last week a Russian campaign designed to undermine and spread disinformation about the Oxford University coronavirus vaccine was exposed by the Times newspaper.

Russia is working on its own Covid-19 vaccine and has spread disinformation about rival vaccine candidates.

Credit: Alexei Pavilshak/TASS via Getty Images

Pictures, video clips and viral memes devised in Russia implied that the vaccine could turn patients into monkeys as a result of a chimpanzee virus being used as a vector.

Russian actors are thought to be attempting to spread such content across social media outlets in western nations with the intention of damaging trust in the injection, as well as countries Russia intends to sell its own Covid-19 vaccine to.

Other false or misleading claims made by anti-vaxxers about Covid-19 across social media have included the suggestion a vaccine will cause infertility and will implant microchips.

Dr Fancourt added that the campaign will be especially needed as trust in politicians among Britons is currently “very low” compared to six months ago.

“It’s crucial that the Government continues to promote vaccines, but we’ve got to have a strategy involving other stakeholders talking about trusting vaccines and believing they’re safe,” she said.

“That’ll bring in some of the issues about reaching BAME communities as well, and bringing in social media influencers where people are already used to listening to and trusting these voices.”

The comments came as scientists working on a vaccine for Covid-19 prepared to take to TikTok, alongside Instagram and Twitter, in order to highlight their work.

TikTok is among the social media apps which will be used by scientists to counter anti-vaccine misinformation.

Credit: Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images

The ‘Team Halo’ campaign will also see researchers in the UK and US, plus those working on vaccine candidates in Brazil, South Africa and India, reply to questions from members of the public and take part in ‘myth-busting’ about coronavirus.

It is hoped that the initiative, backed by the United Nations, the Vaccine Confidence Project and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will allow “positive and creative expression” around public health issues.