Fighting COVID Misinformation

Here's an excerpt from a nice article about Dr. Peter Hotez, one of the developers of the COVID vaccine:

Peter Hotez finds ‘parallel career’ fighting vaccine misinformation 

"Peter Hotez has wanted to be a vaccine researcher for as long as he can remember.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a once-in-a-lifetime challenge for someone of his skill set, but he never saw himself becoming the target of anti-vaxxers and the face of anti-misinformation in the way that he has the past few years.
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"Put plainly, Hotez knows infectious diseases. So, when the pandemic started, he felt ready to be a source of expertise amid the widespread confusion and uncertainty. But with this territory came the task of combating misinformation that sprang up as well, crystallizing what Hotez now refers to as his 'parallel career,' which began before COVID-19. 

"'That started because I have four adult kids including Rachel who has autism, intellectual disabilities. And a few years ago, I wrote a book called ‘Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism,’ which made me public enemy No. 1 or 2 with anti-vaccine groups. That’s when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. started attacking me years ago,' Hotez said. 

"This attention spurred threats and intimidation toward him both online and offline. Just last year, Hotez shared on social media that a 'couple of anti-vaxxers' had taunted him outside his home after he turned down a debate with Kennedy, one of the most prominent figures in the anti-vaccine movement and now an Independent presidential candidate.

"'It’s scary at times, because … I’ve got people like Steve Bannon publicly declaring me a criminal or Roger Stone go after me on social media,' Hotez said. 'And I have, you know, members of the House Freedom Caucus attack me. I have Sen. Rand Paul [R-Ky.] attacking me. So, it’s scary. Puts you in a very dark and scary place.'

"But he still finds his efforts to combat misinformation to be 'meaningful,' saying pushing back on the anti-vaccine movement is just as important as developing vaccines. Amid the pandemic, Hotez also helped to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, Corbevax, which was licensed and approved for use in India.

"When asked what he thinks of all the public figures who have attacked or challenged him, Hotez characterizes them as simply 'desperate for relevance.'" 

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A great line, and very true! These antivaxxers are still delusional and only hurting themselves, but the rest of us are grateful for the vaccines that help to keep us safer.