Ministers to anti-vaxxers: Lives are at stake

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and San Fernando East MP Brian Manning are taking aim at anti-vaxxers, whom they dubbed “graduates of the University of Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube.”

The two berated anti-vaxxers active on social media, and warned people not to listen to them, during the launch of the 2021 National Care Fair at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts on Friday.

During his address, an irate Manning chastised anti-vaxxers for undermining the government’s covid19 fight and the efforts of healthcare workers.

He said, “I don’t think our healthcare professionals receive the acknowledgment that they deserve thus far. During this crisis, a lot of our healthcare professionals have been working around the clock to save lives.

“I get irritated sometimes when I hear some of the anti-vaxx fake news that has been circulating in the public domain.

“Lives are at stake here, and our healthcare professionals are the ones on the ground, they are on the frontline of this war against a deadly virus.”

Estimating that the government has already spent over $5 billion on the country’s covid19 fight, Manning noted that money was not only appropriated for securing covid19 vaccines but also educating the public on them.

Given this, Manning said it is time for the public, especially anti-vaxxers, to do its part.

“We (the government) have done all that we can do educate the population, and we will continue to do even more, but it’s time for the public to do their part.

“Our healthcare professionals are tired, they’re exhausted, they’ve been working almost non-stop for two years now fighting this covid battle.

“Please do your part and get vaccinated now…the disease is far more dangerous than the vaccine, so do yourself a favour.”

Manning pleaded with people not to wait until they are in a critical state in hospital to realise they should have got vaccinated.

Apart from being a risk to themselves, Manning warned unvaccinated people that they are also a risk to others.

He added, “Please do the right thing, listen to the facts, listen to our healthcare professionals and not the quacks on social media.

“Listen to the professionals and the international agencies that are qualified in giving real information in fighting this global scourge.”

To support Manning’s warnings, Deyalsingh referred to the recent allegations levelled against Facebook by whistleblower Frances Haugen.

A former Facebook employee, Haugen leaked thousands of the company’s documents which showed at times it placed profits over people and did little to combat issues such as the rise of fake news.

Deyalsingh said, “I don’t know if you’re paying attention to the Facebook whistleblower who testified before the US Congress and the UK Parliament.

“The two issues facing the world because of social media are, one, the influencing of political change, which I wouldn’t go into.

“But the second issue that social media has, which is driven by platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp, is anti-vaxxing messaging.”

Saying he was confident Trinidad and Tobago has enough well qualified health professionals to give expert advice about the different covid19 vaccines, Deyalsingh pleaded with people to ignore anti-vaxxers on social media.

He lamented, “We have doctors and nurses who got their degrees from UWI – whether it’s Mona (Jamaica), Barbados or Trinidad – the University of London and the University of Cambridge. These are graduates that you can be proud of and who will give you information.

“Please do not listen to graduates of the University of Facebook, the University of WhatsApp, the University of YouTube and the University of Instagram. Those universities are not accredited anywhere in the world.”

Deyalsingh said the rise of fake news on social media had become a distraction when the government needed to be using every bit of its time and effort to fight covid19.

By understanding more how social media algorithms work, Deyalsingh said, people can better guard themselves against misinformation.

He explained, “If you understand and research the issue of how these platforms (work) by a thing called algorithms, (you’ll understand) the steps that these platforms use to drive the unsuspected to go into a rabbit hole of disinformation and misinformation.

“It works to keep you there, because the longer you stay there, the more money they make."

Deyalsingh said this is one of the reasons why the TT Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance and the Pan-American Health Organization recently teamed up to launch a hotline to combat vaccine hesitancy.

During a covid19 media briefing on Wednesday, Deyalsingh announced that the hotline would be manned by volunteer doctors from 1-7 pm and could be accessed through 607-VAXX/607-8299.

“These algorithms are geared towards spreading misinformation and preying on the unsuspected.

“That is what we are battling now and this is what that anti-hesitancy hotline is meant to do now. I think we received 100 calls in the first day when we launched it on Wednesday.”