By Pamela Cruz. With information from Eduardo Paz and Paola Ricaurte. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

Nearly a year and a half after the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world, misinformation about the virus and the vaccines that have been developed to stop it is growing.

Flooding and spreading through instant messaging apps like Telegram and Whatsapp, groups like "Doctors for Truth" encourage conspiracy theories and influence the most vulnerable, to instill their misconceptions about COVID-19 and vaccines.

According to a P360P investigation by the Doctors for Truth network, carried out with the support of the Silicon Valley Community FoundationThe study, in which journalists and data scientists Eduardo Paz -Mexico- and Paola Ricaurte -Ecuadorian with studies at Harvard- have collaborated, identified five messages that during the month of June 2021 obtained more views and were more disseminated through Telegram.

The first is related to the denunciation of the circulation of materials that disseminate information associated with the group "Doctors aligned with the "plan-demic", using the name and logo of the group Doctors for the truth, where they mention that the battle against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is "a spiritual war".

The second message reports an experiment by Andreas Kalcker, presenting the results of an analysis of three vaccines, without mentioning exactly which ones, in which he apparently obtains magnetite residues, indicating that it can be manipulated by electromagnetic fields.

Andreas Kalcker, who presents himself as a scientist, so far unproven, is one of the main promoters of the consumption of chlorine dioxide to "eliminate" COVID-19 from the human body.

The analyses indicate that the image and videos of "Doctors for the truth" have been promoted by an evangelical network in Mexico.

However, social networks like Facebook and streaming platforms like YouTube have put a stop to this type of misinformation by closing the accounts -considering only the main one- of said group, for violating the rules of both channels.

The third message is associated with a series of images that apparently show a microscopic analysis of a person's blood before and after being vaccinated.

This message reports that the blood has been altered and nanoparticles can be observed. The text asserts that the life expectancy of people who have been vaccinated is two years and denounces the vaccine as genocide and a war on human blood.

The fourth message is a video in which "evidence" is apparently presented against virology, for not being scientific. Thus, based on a false reasoning, it is argued that a pandemic cannot be thought to exist just because multiple people present symptoms simultaneously.

The fifth message alludes to a fake news story about a Lisbon Court ruling that there are fewer coronavirus deaths than officially verified, however, the story on the Trikooba portal appears retracted according to data analysts.

The narratives that have spread through Telegram during the month of June reach as far as Patagonia, as the data verified by the two important analysts reveal that in terms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the main points that this type of group spreads are:

- In Argentina and in the world they are now admitting that the famous virus was designed in a laboratory".

- "The vaccine is not the end. The virus will mutate and this vaccine will be useless in the middle of 2021".

- Health situation caused by an alleged virus to make people believe that this "preparation" manages to immunize. That it does not immunize is evident".

- "Deaths and hospitalizations from infection by Covid-19, also known as PCCH virus, have tripled in the United States among those fully vaccinated."

On vaccine-related issues, the main narratives are:

- "There is definitely research to be done on this. The peak protein in the COVID vaccine 'travels' from the injection site and can cause organ damage."

- Spanish news: secret nanoparticles in Pfizer's vaccine. Biomagnetism therapies prove it".

- Professor 54 years old, healthy, without pathologies. He was vaccinated on the 28th with the second dose of AstraZeneca. He laughs at the injection. Suddenly dies".

- "Eric Clapton. The famous guitarist tells how the experimental vaccine has affected his immune system".

- "They have already reported several thousand deaths from the vaccine and more than 200,000 serious adverse effects."

COVID-19 disease is also mentioned with reasoning such as:

- Graphene is the magnetic material inoculated in Covid vaccines".

- Nanoparticles in COVID vaccines".

- "Covid. It's not pandemic, it's plandemic."

- "WHO does not recommend that vaccines be given to children."

- I HAVE BEEN VACCINATED AGAINST COVID. 7th June: his sister dies "unexpectedly", he announces that her funeral will be on 18th June".

Disinformation such as this has had the same speed as the virus to spread, and is also capable of producing death, as many are those who believe and encourage such theories, which are far from reality and science.

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By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]

In March 2020, Santiago's life, like that of millions of children around the world, changed dramatically. At 12 years old, he went from attending school to taking online classes, from playing football to exercising at home, and from seeing family and friends in meetings to talking to them via video conference. 

Her life was turned upside down and she didn't know why. "I don't watch the news much, but I heard my parents talking about a virus. I got really scared. Everything changed. I stopped doing everything I loved: going to school, seeing my friends, going out to a lot of places. It was like a nightmare," she told P360P in an interview.

Santi, as his family calls him, gradually began to understand what was happening through information from his parents, teachers and the media. And although he thought it would be a matter of weeks, the news of new infections continued for months. Bored by the confinement, he hoped it would soon be over.

However, the number of new cases and deaths continued to rise. Santi is also one of the millions of children who have lost a loved one to COVID-19, as earlier this year, his great-grandmother passed away from the disease.

"That's why I want to tell my story, because I know there are many children who are afraid to get vaccinated. But nothing happens. Even though I'm scared of needles, I wanted to be brave so that nothing bad would happen to people, like my great-grandmother.

First those in front

It was in December 2020 when the story about the pandemic took an unexpected turn. "My mom yelled at me and I came out of my room. "'There's already a vaccine,' she said. I asked if we could get it, but she explained that we had to wait. Again we had to wait. I was already bored of hearing that, but I was also scared that my parents or more people would die."

"My parents told me that the first to be vaccinated would be the people who needed it most and those who were most at risk. First the grandparents and the doctors, then the adults, until finally, one day they also said children over 12 years old. 

Santi was a few months away from his 12th birthday when the news came out. So at his young age he had to prepare himself mentally to fight a battle against all the fears that were going through his head, because he didn't like neither injections nor needles.

"I put everything on a scale, that's what my mom told me to do when I had doubts about making an important decision. And that's what I did, I wrote down on a sheet of paper why I should and shouldn't get vaccinated. I thought about my fear, but also about my great-grandmother. In the end, yes won out.

Take that, COVID-19: I'm not afraid anymore!

This August 1st Santi was able to receive the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. With his left arm uncovered he closes his eyes and receives a prick that lasts only a short time. When he is told that it is over, he opens his eyes again and a smile appears on his face.

"It didn't feel like anything, just a little pinch, like being pinched, but it didn't really hurt. I thought it was going to be worse. Last time it didn't hurt either. I'm very happy because I've already been vaccinated and so have my parents.

Santi says that when he grows up he wants to be a doctor so he can help other people, he adjusts the sleeve of his shirt while he gets up from his chair and hits the air quickly shouting: "Take that, COVID". 

"By getting the COVID vaccine, I showed my family that I love them and that I want to get back to training, to tell my friends that I want to see them at school again, and to tell the world that if I can fight my fears, everyone can.

"We'll still be wearing masks for a while, but if we all do our part we'll soon be smiling again."

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By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P] 

After the Delta variant has become the leading strain in the United States, accounting for more than 85 percent of sequenced COVID-19 cases, "the only way to overcome this terrible virus is to increase vaccination rates," said Dr. Monica Gandhi.

Professor of Medicine and Associate Chair of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) detailed in a news briefing by Ethnic Media Services that while there are European countries where vaccination rates are high, there are also nations such as India, which is very slow.

In that sense, he explained that the U.S. is in the middle, as areas such as Vermont, Virginia or the Bay Area show the highest vaccination rates, in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Nevada, it has been observed that the number of hospitalizations for the disease has risen. 

The only way to overcome COVID-19 is to increase vaccination rates. 

She said there are six strategies to increase vaccination rates: 

Community-based messaging. This type of messaging, she said, has been the success of immunization campaigns in towns like San Francisco. Having an African-American mayor talk about the importance of immunization is extremely important.

2.- Bring vaccines closer to the population through pharmacies, consultations with their trusted doctors, in their workplaces and giving workers free time to do so.

3.- Free transportation to vaccination sites.

4.- Helping mothers and fathers to access free childcare while they go for immunization.

5.- Vaccination "Passports". According to Dr. Gandhi, these would serve as an incentive to encourage vaccination, where people who are not immunized would not be able to access certain enclosed spaces.    

6. Mandates. This last point, he said, is particularly controversial, because although each person is responsible for his or her health, "this is a public health issue.

In that regard, he recalled that in 1905 the U.S. suffered a smallpox epidemic where 30 percent of people eligible for the smallpox vaccine did not get it. So there was a case called Jacobson v. Massachusetts that was brought before the Supreme Court. 

The ruling put the common good above personal interests, mandating that all state residents be required to be vaccinated or pay fines if they did not want to be immunized.

He noted that cities such as San Francisco and New York have required public employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to repeatedly test negative for the virus.

Every mandate, he stressed, has its exceptions, which possibly go in terms of immunity in the past, for religious reasons, or for medical reasons where the vaccine is contraindicated.

However, he pointed out that not having high vaccination rates in the country will only lead to the prolongation of the pandemic.

Vaccines, from segregation to inclusion

"Vaccines are effective, and it looks like our best chance to stop the pandemic, said pediatrician Tiffany Johnson of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), noting that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color.

"There are many barriers that exist in accessing health care, and those same barriers exist in accessing the vaccine," she said.

A couple of examples of this, he said, are problems with Internet access, as some populations cannot access reliable and credible information about the vaccine, or even schedule appointments to get vaccinated.

Also, he said, there are transportation problems, because even if you have a vaccination clinic five miles away, if you don't have a bus card, that distance is a long way to walk, especially if the temperature and weather are extreme.

In addition, he explained that workers are often not allowed to miss vaccinations or are docked time off, a situation that many of them cannot afford, let alone given days to recover in case they have reactions.

He added that there is mistrust on the part of communities of color toward the country's health care system.

"Whenever we talk about vaccines and underserved communities, it's always important to talk about mistrust, because health care in America was built on a foundation of racism and beyond the history of experimentation on black and brown bodies, we also have to be accountable for the ways in which we cause harm to communities of color to this day with health care disparities."

In light of this, he said that governments must work on trust with all communities, especially those of color.

"We need to earn that trust and build that trust, and it's not going to happen overnight. So we have to recognize the ways in which we fall short and we have to actively work on building trust in these communities."

While he said he is not in favor of "COVID-19 passports," he explained that he is in favor of the FDA fully approving the vaccine, and once it is approved, then discussing mandates for inoculation.

"We need to create a two-tiered system where there are groups in certain communities that don't have access to the benefits, and then there is society at large. I think we have to work on education and community empowerment, taking into account all the barriers that exist to getting vaccines," she said.

Vaccines for overcoming COVID-19, from the individual to the collective

"The fundamental problem is that vaccines are given at the individual level and individuals tend to see an individual benefit as the main driver. Vaccines work through immunity at the individual level, but on a large scale they essentially work through mathematics at the population level. So all vaccines will help anyone who gets them," Dr. Ben Neuman, chief of Virology at the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex, said at the time.

He explained that while there are several studies on vaccines and their effectiveness against the virus and its different variants, all agree that they are safe and work. 

In addition, he said, the studies showed that the COVID-19 vaccines show a "huge 78 percent to 95 percent reduction in the likelihood of death after being administered. 

Vaccinated people are 80 to 90 percent less likely to transmit the virus, and 80 to 90 percent less likely to become infected with the virus. 

"Overall, it seems like the vaccines work pretty well and are protective in a number of ways ... at the population level, 80 to 90 percent vaccine effectiveness is an absolute godsend," he said.

Are we experiencing a new wave of COVID? The answer is yes

Dr. Dali Fan, a clinical professor of health sciences at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), said the reason for that statement is multifactorial -- the Delta variant "definitely played a role, but the changes are social behavior, social policies and lack of vaccination in the underage group.

"The major vaccines are quite effective against COVID. The mRNA vaccines are 80 percent effective against infection and 95 percent effective against hospitalization. DNA vaccines are 60 percent effective against infection and 90 percent effective against hospitalization."

In the case of the Delta variant, recent data from the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the mRNA vaccine is about 80 percent effective, while in DNAs it is about 67 percent effective against coronavirus hospitalization.

So is a booster vaccine the first-line solution for the Delta variant? The answer is no, he said. "Vaccinating everyone is the right answer. So what are booster doses? Booster vaccines are given after the primary series and are necessary to boost immunity after the initial immune response." 

"Remember that vaccines don't kill. The virus does it directly. Vaccines trigger your immune system to kill viruses," he reminded.

Dr. Fan noted that a booster is not yet necessary, but some populations may be the exceptions, such as residents of long-term care facilities, adults over 65 years of age, health care professionals, and the immunocompromised.

He added that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that fully vaccinated Americans do not need a booster shot at this time. "There is simply not enough evidence that the Delta variant is progressing in fully vaccinated people," he said.

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