Pro-Russia Vaccine Misinfo Finds Home in Us Facebook Groups
CHICAGO (AP) — A false report claiming five Ukrainians had died after taking an American-made vaccine spread in just a matter of days from a small Kremlin-friendly Ukrainian website to an audience of thousands in U.S.-based Facebook groups.
The falsehood has spread online, despite the fact that the World Health Organization says a vaccine is not even being tested in Ukraine.
This type of misinformation could raise distrust and fear around a successful vaccine, threatening hopes of ending the pandemic, especially as the U.S. readies plans to deliver 300 million doses to Americans starting next year, could be a prime target.
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