Tag: COVID-19 vaccine

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Cancer Medicine Quackery

Tess Lawrie: “You might not believe this, little fella, but it’ll cure your cancer too”

Frank Zappa vs. Tess Lawrie
Frank Zappa's classic song applies just as well to quacks like Tess Lawrie as it did to a fictional New Age guru 50 years ago.

In a turn that should surprise exactly no one, the BIRD Group’s Tess Lawrie effortlessly pivots from promoting ivermectin as a cure for COVID-19 to promoting it as a cure for cancer. It’s another example of how single-issue quacks almost inevitably embrace more diverse quackery.

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Antivaccine nonsense Clinical trials Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Economist Mark Skidmore publishes antivax propaganda disguised as a survey

Mark Skidmore
Mark Skidmore is a perfect example showing why economists shouldn't be trying to determine how many adverse events are caused by vaccines. At least, antivax economists shouldn't, as they embarrass themselves and their schools when they do so.

Antivaxxers love surveys. This time BMC Infectious Diseases has the dubious “honor” of publishing a truly awful one by an economist named Mark Skidmore that claims that COVID-19 vaccine have killed nearly 300K people.

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Antivaccine nonsense Computers and social media Medicine

Elon Musk amplifies dubious claims of “spasms” and “seizures” after COVID-19 vaccines

COVID misinformation seizures spasms

Thanks to Elon Musk, two-year-old videos showing people claiming to have “seizures” and “spasms” due to #CovidVaccines have resurfaced and gone viral. Antivaxxers are partying like it’s 2009—or 2021.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine

When “died suddenly” comes for a colleague and friend

Dr. Harriet Hall
Dr. Harriet Hall (with friend) at The Amazing Meeting in Las Vegas in 2011.

Since Dr. Harriet Hall (a.k.a. The SkepDoc) died last week, antivaxxers have been blaming COVID-19 vaccines. Their vileness knows no limits.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking

If 2022 was the “year of the gaslighter,” expect a lot more gaslighting in 2023

Gaslight: The inspiration for "gaslighting"

“Gaslighting” is a term that refers to the manipulation of someone in order to lead them to question their own reality and even sanity. Last month, a COVID-19 minimizer and antivaxxer declared 2022 the “year of the gaslighter,” revealing yet again that it’s always projection with science-denying propagandists. Unfortunately, 2023 looks to hold a lot more of the same in store.