Fake news is hurting SA vaccination rollout: Nzimande
Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, believes that while social media is beneficial for communicating, it can be easily hijacked to spread false claims about inoculation.
GOVERNMENT is working tirelessly to deal with the danger of fake news in the fight against Covid-19 and the vaccination plan.
Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, believes that while social media is beneficial for communicating, it can be easily hijacked to spread false claims about inoculation.
“What complicates the fight against Covid-19 is that while people are facing the real threat of losing their lives, fake news and misinformation are causing them to be paranoid, and to doubt the usefulness of vaccines and other public health interventions,” the Minister said.
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Speaking during a virtual conference aimed at dispelling myths about vaccines and Coronavirus variants earlier this week, Nzimande said the discussion underscores the urgency with which government is responding to the pandemic.
“The current environment is fraught with all manner of conspiracy theories that often result in poor decision-making at both individual and group level.”
Among these are the 5G myths that have led to cell phone towers being destroyed in some parts of the country, Nzimande said.
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He also bemoaned how vaccines are being branded as another “pandemic” that should be avoided at all costs.
Nzimande assured citizens that there is nothing to worry about, as vaccines are backed by science, along with peer-reviewed research and multiple and independent trials.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
