A US virologist who claims to be the inventor of mRNA vaccine technology has been banned from Twitter for spreading anti-vaccine content.
Dr Robert Malone has amassed over 500,000 followers but the scientist was removed from the platform after sharing a video about supposed harmful effects of the Pfizer vaccine.
Twitter has not commented on the decison and it’s unclear whether the banning was automated or actioned by a human.
But, yet again, the decision highlights the continued volatility around the discussion of Covid-19 vaccines.
Despite being involved with the development of mRNA technology decades ago, Dr Malone has become an outspoken critic of mass vaccination.
Both the Pfizer and the Moderna jabs are built on mRNA technology, which uses genetic engineering to tell our bodies to manufacture the spike protein found in Covid-19 and create antibodies that kick in if you become infected.
But Dr Malone believes there is not enough adequet testing in place to warrant mass vaccination, especially in children.
Following the Twitter ban, the scientist posted comments on his other social media pages, saying his suspension shows he ‘must have been on the mark, so to speak.’
Plenty of his followers echoed the sentiment.
And despite his claims, Dr Malone can’t be credited as the sole inventor of mRNA technology. He co-authored a paper on the tech back in the 1980s, but Dr. Katalin Karikó and Dr. Drew Weissman are more commonly credited with creating it.
Meanwhile, the scientific credentials of all the Covid-19 vaccines – including those based on mRNA – have long been certified by this point. All vaccines used in the UK must be approved by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
MHRA makes sure vaccines meet strict international standards for safety, quality and effectiveness.
They have all been through clinical trials involving thousands of people in the UK and around the world. Once a vaccine is approved, it’s closely monitored to continue to make sure it is safe and effective.
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, said online misinformation is ‘a very serious public health issue’.
He said: ‘People have died, and more still are at greater risk of suffering from Covid, because they got their medical information from Facebook and other social media sites.
‘These platforms are chronically polluted because anti-vaxxers have been allowed to dump toxic misinformation into people’s feeds on a daily basis for years with impunity.
‘Most people who haven’t been jabbed aren’t what you might refer to as “committed anti-vaxxers” – they are merely vaccine-hesitant, because they’ve been deliberately and cynically targeted with a steady campaign of half-truths, baseless conspiracy theories and outright lies.’
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