Counties that voted for Mr. Biden average higher vaccination levels than those that voted for Donald Trump. The surgeon general’s report is assiduously apolitical, and does not name any specific purveyors of misinformation. Health misinformation is not a recent phenomenon — and is not limited to news media. In the 1990s, the report notes, “a poorly designed study” — later retracted — falsely claimed the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine causes autism. Another recent study showed that even brief exposure to misinformation made people less likely to want a Covid-19 vaccine, the surgeon general said.

Source: New York Times July 15, 2021 14:48 UTC