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Malaysia day by day circumstances per million folks amongst highest globally

Malaysia daily cases per million people among highest globally

A man wearing a face mask as a preventive measure against Covid-19 walks down an empty street in Chinatown.

Wong Fok Loy | SOPA pictures | LightRocket via Getty Images

The Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia has become one of the worst in the world.

On a seven-day moving average, Malaysia recorded 483.72 confirmed Covid infections per million people on Wednesday – the eighth highest in the world and the top in Asia, according to the latest data compiled by the online repository Our World in Data.

Meanwhile, the country’s daily reported Covid-related deaths on Tuesday averaged about 4.90 per million people on a seven-day moving average. That’s the 19th highest in the world and the third highest in Asia, the data showed.

Our World in Data is a collaboration between researchers from the University of Oxford and the UK non-profit Global Change Data Lab.

Malaysia has managed to keep the number of infections low for much of 2020. However, the country has struggled to tame a surge in cases despite several restrictions and a state of emergency.

Political analysts blame the government’s mistreatment of the outbreak as it worsened.

“Malaysia’s response is hampered by chaotic governance and ongoing political power struggles,” wrote Joshua Kurlantzick, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia at the Think Tank Council on Foreign Relations, in a report.

Malaysia’s political crisis

The Southeast Asian country found itself in political turmoil when former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad unexpectedly resigned in February last year. It paved the way for Muhyiddin to form a government by cobbling together a fragile coalition.

Political opponents have long challenged Muhyiddin’s claim to majority support in the country’s 222-seat parliament. Calls for the Prime Minister’s resignation – including among his allies – became louder after the Malaysian king issued a rare reprimand on Thursday about the government’s handling of the state of emergency.

The king had Muhyiddin’s application for a state of emergency from January to January 1.

Many analysts viewed the move as an attempt by the embattled prime minister to maintain his political position, particularly when parliament was suspended due to the state of emergency and elections could not be held.

When parliament convened again this week, the government surprised the nation by announcing that it had decided to end the state of emergency effective July 21. The king said the government’s unilateral revocation was inconsistent with constitutional procedure.

Since coming to power, Muhyiddin has tried to avoid parliamentary votes that his political opponents could use as a proxy for a vote of no confidence in his leadership. The Malaysian parliament has never voted on a motion of censure.

Covid vaccinations are increasing

Despite the political tussle, the Malaysian authorities have accelerated the pace of vaccinations in recent weeks. According to Our World in Data, more than 18% of the country’s 32 million people are fully vaccinated.

Economists at the British bank Barclays estimate that Malaysia – along with Singapore and South Korea – will be among the Asian countries this year to achieve “critical levels” of vaccinations.

The Malaysian government announced that it would vaccinate most of the adult population by the end of the year.

Still, economists said the worsening outbreak and ongoing social distancing measures have hurt Malaysia’s growth prospects.

Barclays cut its growth forecast for 2021 from 5.5% to 5% last month. That is well below the Malaysian central bank’s forecast range of 6% to 7.5%.

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CDC to reverse indoor masks coverage, saying totally vaccinated folks ought to put on them indoors in Covid sizzling spots

CDC to reverse indoor mask policy, saying fully vaccinated people should wear them indoors in Covid hot spots

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to recommend Tuesday that fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in locations with high Covid-19 transmission rates, according to those familiar with the matter.

According to the sources, federal health officials still believe that fully vaccinated individuals represent a very low level of transmission. Still, some people vaccinated could carry higher amounts of the virus than previously thought and potentially pass it on to others, they said.

The CDC is expected to hold a briefing on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET.

The updated guidelines come before the fall season, when the highly contagious Delta variant is expected to lead to a further surge in new coronavirus cases and many large employers plan to bring workers back to the office. In mid-May, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people would not need to wear masks in most environments, whether indoors or outdoors.

Continue reading: Americans will need masks indoors as the US is heading for a “dangerous fall” with a surge in Delta Covid cases

Health experts fear that Delta, already the dominant form of the disease in the US, hits states with low vaccination rates. These states are now being forced to reintroduce mask rules, capacity limits and other public health measures that they have largely withdrawn in recent months.

White House senior medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the CDC was considering revising mask guidelines for vaccinated Americans, saying it was “in active consideration”.

“It’s a dynamic situation. It’s in the works, it’s developing like so many other areas of the pandemic, “Fauci, also director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, told CNN. “You need to look at the data.”

The CDC guidelines are just a recommendation, leaving it up to state and local officials to reintroduce their masking rules for specific individuals. But even before the CDC’s expected guidelines on Tuesday, some regions reintroduced mask mandates and notices as Covid cases rose again.

Several California and Nevada counties are now advising all residents to wear masks in public indoor spaces, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. In Massachusetts, Provincetown officials advised everyone to return to wearing masks indoors after the July 4 celebrations resulted in an outbreak of new cases.

Experts say Covid prevention strategies remain critical to protecting people from the virus, especially in areas with medium to high transmission rates in the community.

Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and vaccine advocate who served on advisory boards for both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, told CNBC earlier this month that the US is still “undervaccinated” and about half the population is not fully vaccinated be .

Even people who are fully protected have cause for concern when it comes to variants of Covid, Offit said. While the vaccines protect well against serious illness and death, they may not protect as well against minor illness or the spread of Covid to others, he said. No vaccine is 100% effective, he noted.

“It is not a bold prediction to believe that SARS-CoV-2 will be circulating in two or three years. I mean, there are 195 countries out there, most of which haven’t received a single dose of vaccine. ”“ Offit said. “Will it still be circulating in the United States? I think that would be very, very likely.”

Israel released preliminary data last week showing that the Pfizer vaccine was only 39% effective against the virus there, which officials attributed to the rapidly spreading Delta variant. Its effectiveness against serious illness and death remained high, the data showed. US and World Health officials said they would look at Israeli research, which was non-peer-reviewed and had few details.

Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson executives have stated that they expect Americans to need booster vaccinations, and Pfizer has announced it will ask the FDA to approve booster vaccinations as it sees signs of waning immunity. Federal health officials say that otherwise healthy people don’t currently require booster doses of the vaccines, although they may recommend it for the elderly or those with compromised immunity.

– CNBC’s Meg Tirrell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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C.D.C. to Suggest Some Vaccinated Folks Put on Masks Indoors Once more

C.D.C. to Recommend Some Vaccinated People Wear Masks Indoors Again

Reversing a decision made just two months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to recommend on Tuesday that people vaccinated for the coronavirus resume wearing masks indoors in certain areas of the country.

The change follows reports of rising breakthrough infections with the Delta variant of the virus in people who were fully immunized, and case surges in regions with low vaccination rates. The vaccines remain effective against the worst outcomes of infection with the virus, including those involving the Delta variant.

But the new guidance, the details of which are expected later Tuesday, would mark a sharp turnabout from the agency’s position since May that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most indoor spaces.

As recently as last week, an agency spokesman said that the C.D.C. had no plans to change its guidance, unless there were a significant change in the science. Federal officials met on Sunday night to review new evidence that may have prompted the reversal, CNN reported on Tuesday.

“I think that’s great,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York. Based on what scientists are learning about the Delta variant’s ability to cause breakthrough infections, she said, “this is a move in the right direction.”

The C.D.C.’s initial guidance in May said people fully protected from the coronavirus could go mask-free indoors in most scenarios, but recommended that unvaccinated people still wear masks. Those recommendations drew sharp criticism from some experts, who said it was premature given the vast swaths of unvaccinated people in the country.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the C.D.C.’s director, at the time pointed to two scientific findings as significant factors. Few vaccinated people become infected with the virus, and transmission seems rarer still, she noted; and the vaccines appear to be effective against all known variants of the coronavirus.

A day after the announcement, the agency released results from a large study showing that the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were 94 percent effective in preventing symptomatic illness in those who got two doses, and 82 percent effective in those who had received one dose.

But those data, and the C.D.C.’s decision, were based on infections of previous versions of the virus before the Delta variant began sweeping through the country. Reports of clusters of infections among fully immunized people have suggested that the variant may be able to break through the vaccine barrier more often than previous iterations of the virus.

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‘I feel individuals are underestimating how unhealthy that is going to get’: Dr. Ashish Jha

‘I think people are underestimating how bad this is going to get': Dr. Ashish Jha

The dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health warned about the tough months ahead across the U.S. due to Covid, as new data shows people infected with the delta strain can carry up to 1,000 times more virus in their nasal passages than those infected with the original strain.

“I think people are underestimating how bad this is going to get,” said Dr. Ashish Jha. “We are in for a very tough August, probably a very tough September before this really turns around.”

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters at a briefing Thursday that the delta variant “is one of the most infectious respiratory viruses we know of, and that I have seen in my 20 year career.”

Jha told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith,” that the infection rate could be worse if it were winter, and predicted the delta spike could peak within two months. 

“It might peak in September, but we are far away from the peak, right now we are doing 40,000 cases a day, it’s going to go substantially higher before it peaks,” Jha said. 

The delta variant has spread rapidly through the U.S., accounting for more than 83% of sequenced cases in the U.S. right now, up from 50% the week of July 3, according to the CDC.

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Why Vaccinated Folks Are Getting ‘Breakthrough’ Infections

Why Vaccinated People Are Getting ‘Breakthrough’ Infections

Whether a vaccinated person ever becomes infected may depend on how high antibodies spiked after vaccination, how potent those antibodies are against the variant, and whether the level of antibodies in the person’s blood has waned since immunization.

In any case, immune defenses primed by the vaccines should recognize the virus soon after infection and destroy it before significant damage occurs.

“That is what explains why people do get infected and why people don’t get seriously ill,” said Michel C. Nussenzweig, an immunologist at Rockefeller University in New York. “It’s nearly unavoidable, unless you’re going to give people very frequent boosters.”

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There is limited evidence beyond anecdotal reports to indicate whether breakthrough infections with the Delta variant are more common or more likely to fan out to other people. The C.D.C. has recorded about 5,500 hospitalizations and deaths in vaccinated people, but it is not tracking milder breakthrough infections.

Additional data is emerging from the Covid-19 Sports and Society Workgroup, a coalition of professional sports leagues that is working closely with the C.D.C. Sports teams in the group are testing more than 10,000 people at least daily and sequencing all infections, according to Dr. Robby Sikka, a physician who worked with the N.B.A.’s Minnesota Timberwolves.

Breakthrough infections in the leagues seem to be more common with the Delta variant than with Alpha, the variant first identified in Britain, he said. As would be predicted, the vaccines cut down the severity and duration of illness significantly, with players returning less than two weeks after becoming infected, compared with nearly three weeks earlier in the pandemic.

But while they are infected, the players carry very high amounts of virus for seven to 10 days, compared with two or three days in those infected with Alpha, Dr. Sikka said. Infected players are required to quarantine, so the project has not been able to track whether they spread the virus to others — but it’s likely that they would, he added.

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Ought to Folks Who Took The Covid-19 Vaccine Begin Sporting Masks Once more?

Should People Who Took The Covid-19 Vaccine Start Wearing Masks Again?

Since the delta variant is spreading among the unvaccinated, many fully vaccinated people also worry. Is it time to mask again?

While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question, most experts agree that masks remain a wise precaution in certain situations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. How often you use a mask depends on your personal health tolerance and risk, the infection and vaccination rates in your community, and who you spend time with.

The bottom line is this: while a full vaccination protects against serious illness and hospitalization from Covid-19, no vaccine offers 100 percent protection. As long as large numbers of people remain unvaccinated and the coronavirus continues to spread, those vaccinated will be exposed to the Delta variant and a small percentage of them will develop what are known as breakthrough infections. Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about how to protect yourself and reduce your risk of a breakthrough infection.

To decide if a mask is needed, first ask yourself these questions.

  • Are the people I am with also vaccinated?

  • What is the fall and vaccination rate in my community?

  • Will I be in a poorly ventilated indoor or outdoor area? Will the increased risk of exposure last a few minutes or hours?

  • How high is my personal risk (or the risk to my fellow human beings) for complications from Covid-19?

Experts agree that you don’t need to wear a mask if everyone you are with is vaccinated and symptom-free.

“I don’t wear a mask when hanging out with other people who have been vaccinated,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, Dean of Brown University School of Public Health. “I don’t even think about it. I go to the office with a few people and they are all vaccinated. I’m not worried. “

But once you venture into closed public spaces, where the chances of encountering unvaccinated people are greater, a mask is probably a good idea. A full vaccination remains the strongest protection against Covid-19, but the risk is cumulative. The more opportunities you give the virus to challenge the antibodies you made with your vaccine, the higher your risk of exposure to exposure so great that the virus breaks the protective barrier of your immune system.

Because of this, your community’s fall and vaccination rate is one of the most important factors influencing mask needs. For example, in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, more than 70 percent of adults are fully vaccinated. In Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas, fewer than 45 percent of adults are vaccinated. In some counties, overall vaccination rates are far lower.

“We are currently two Covid nations,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital. In Harris County, Texas, where Dr. Hotez is alive, case numbers are up 114 percent in the past two weeks, and only 44 percent of the community is fully vaccinated. “I wear a mask indoors most of the time,” said Dr. Hotez.

Finally, masking is more important in poorly ventilated indoor spaces than outdoors, where the risk of infection is extremely low. Dr. Jah notices that he recently stormed into a cafe, exposed because vaccination rates are high in his area, and was only there for a few minutes.

Your personal risk also counts. If you are elderly or have immunocompromised your antibody response to the vaccine may not be as strong as a young person’s response. It is a good idea to avoid crowded rooms and wear a mask if you are indoors and do not know the vaccination status of those around you.

Use the Times tracker to find vaccination rates and case numbers in your area.

When the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that people who had been vaccinated could forego wearing masks, the number of cases declined, vaccinations increased, and the highly contagious Delta variant had not yet caught on. Since then, Delta has spread rapidly and now accounts for more than 83 percent of cases in the United States.

It is known that people infected with the Delta variant shed much higher amounts of the virus over longer periods of time compared to previous lines of the coronavirus. A preliminary study estimated that viral loads are 1,000 times higher in people with the delta variant. These high viral loads give the virus more opportunities to challenge your antibodies and breach your vaccine protection.

“This is twice as transferable as the original line from Covid,” said Dr. Hotez. “The reproductive number of the virus is around 6,” he said, referring to the number of people a virus carrier is likely to infect. “That means that 85 percent of the population must be vaccinated. Only a few areas of the country achieve that. “

Updated

July 22, 2021, 1:43 p.m. ET

The answer depends on your personal risk tolerance and the level of vaccinations and Covid-19 cases in your community. The more time you spend with unvaccinated people in closed rooms for a long time, the higher the risk of crossbreeding with the Delta variant or other variants that may appear.

Large gatherings, by definition, offer more opportunities to contract the coronavirus, even if you are vaccinated. Scientists have documented breakthrough infections at a recent Oklahoma wedding and July 4th celebrations in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

But even with the Delta variant, a full vaccination seems to be around 90 percent effective to prevent serious illnesses and hospital stays caused by Covid-19. However, if you are at a very high risk of complications from Covid-19, you should consider avoiding risky situations and wearing a mask if the vaccination status is unknown to those around you.

Healthy vaccinated people with a low risk of complications have to decide what personal risk they want to accept. Wearing a mask at large indoor gatherings will reduce the risk of infection. If you are healthy and vaccinated but are caring for an aging parent or spending time with others at high risk, you should also consider their risk when deciding whether to attend an event or wear a mask.

“When I go into a public area, I usually wear a mask,” said Dr. Hotez. “Until recently, I used to take my son and his girlfriend out to a restaurant for dinner and I wouldn’t wear a mask because the broadcast was so advanced. Now I’m not so sure. I can change the way I think about restaurants while Delta is getting faster. “

Breakthrough infections get a lot of attention because people who have been vaccinated talk about them on social media. If breakthrough infection clusters occur, it is also reported in science journals or in the media.

However, it’s important to remember that while breakthrough cases are relatively rare, they can still happen no matter what vaccine you’re given.

“No vaccine is 100 percent effective at preventing disease in vaccinated people,” says its CDC website. “There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who will still get sick, hospitalized, or die of Covid-19.”

A breakthrough case doesn’t mean your vaccine isn’t working. In fact, most breakthrough infection cases result in no symptoms or only mild illness, which shows that the vaccines are working well to prevent serious illness from Covid-19.

As of July 12, more than 159 million people in the United States were fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Of these, only 5,492 had breakthrough cases that resulted in serious illness. including 1,063 who died. That’s less than 0.0007 percent of the vaccinated population. Now 99 percent of Covid-19 deaths are among the unvaccinated.

Many infectious disease experts are frustrated that the CDC only documents cases where a vaccinated person with Covid-19 is hospitalized or dies. But many breakthrough infections are still being discovered in asymptomatic people who are frequently tested, such as baseball players and Olympic athletes. Many of these people travel or spend long periods of time in close quarters with others.

“Sports figures are different,” said Dr. Yeh. “Part of the problem is that they also encounter a lot of unvaccinated people, even in their own small circle.”

If you’re fully vaccinated and know you’ve been exposed to someone with Covid-19, it’s a good idea to get tested even if you don’t have symptoms.

And if you have cold symptoms or other signs of infection, experts agree that you should be tested. Many vaccinated people who do not wear masks have caught colds in the summer, which lead to runny nose, fever and cough. But it’s impossible to tell the difference between a summer cold and Covid-19. Anyone with cough or cold symptoms should wear a mask to protect their surroundings and get tested to rule out Covid-19. It’s a good idea to have a few Covid tests on hand at home as well.

“If I woke up one morning and had symptoms of a cold, I would put on a mask at home and get tested,” said Dr. Yeh. “I don’t want to cause breakthrough infections in other members of my family, and I don’t want to give it to my 9 year old child.”

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Fauci says vaccinated individuals ‘would possibly wish to contemplate’ sporting masks indoors

Fauci says vaccinated people 'might want to consider' wearing masks indoors

White House senior medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said people who are fully vaccinated should consider wearing masks indoors as a precaution against the rapidly spreading Delta variant in the US

“If you want to walk that extra mile of safety indoors, especially in crowded places, despite being vaccinated, consider wearing a mask,” Fauci said in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday.

Some areas of the United States are reintroducing mask requirements due to spikes in cases. The more transmissible Delta variant now accounts for around 83% of the sequenced Covid-19 cases in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It is recommended that you wear a mask if you find yourself in an indoor situation where virus dynamics are high in the community,” Fauci said.

He also said US officials are concerned they are seeing more breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people in the US, even if they are milder cases.

“Of course we don’t want to see that,” he said, noting that the Delta variant is highly transferable. “This virus is very different from the viruses and variants that we have previously experienced. It has an exceptional ability to transmit from person to person.”

The portability of variants from the original strain has increased, and some have been shown to decrease the effectiveness of vaccines.

“Viruses don’t mutate unless you allow them to replicate and spread through the community. You give them ample time and opportunity to mutate and you have a new variant,” Fauci said. “The easiest, best and most effective way to prevent the emergence of a new variant and destroy the existing Delta variant is to have everyone vaccinated.”

In the United States, 99.5% of Covid deaths are now among unvaccinated people. “This is a statistic that speaks for itself,” said Fauci.

Despite the spike in new cases, Fauci said he doesn’t think US officials will renew calls for a statewide mask mandate “because there will be a lot of headwinds.”

Local counties and private companies may choose to enforce mask requirements as the delta variant spreads more widely in unvaccinated areas of the country. Currently, nearly two-thirds of counties in the United States have vaccinated less than 40% of their residents.

Colleges and universities have also brought the question of mandatory vaccinations to court. Indiana University recently got the go-ahead from a federal judge to require vaccines for college students entering the fall semester.

Fauci said he doesn’t see any comeback from lockdowns anytime soon.

“I don’t see that on the horizon right now,” said Fauci. “What I’m seeing is more tests and more local mandates and a lot of pressure to get people vaccinated.”

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Infectious illness knowledgeable says Covid vaccine misinformation is ‘killing individuals’

Not prudent to deploy vaccine boosters at this point: Ex-FDA director

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at Boston University, expressed concern about the spread of misinformation about Covid vaccines on social media.

“I think social media plays a huge role in amplifying misinformation that is leading people not to take the vaccine, which is killing them,” Bhadelia told CNBC on Friday. “It’s the honest truth. Covid is a vaccine-preventable disease at the moment.”

President Joe Biden said Friday that platforms like Facebook are killing people by allowing misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines through their services. He went back those comments on Monday, mainly accusing the platform’s users of sharing misinformation.

Bhadelia cited results from the Kaiser Family Fund poll, which found that 54% of Americans either believe or cannot tell whether a common Covid vaccine myth is fact or fiction.

The US is struggling with a drop in vaccination rates and an increase in infections. All 50 states have reported an increase in Covid cases over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University. The US has an average of more than 26,000 new cases a day, and that’s the highest number in two months, according to Johns Hopkins.

Bhadelia told CNBC The News with Shepard Smith that she believes social media companies can do a lot more to stop the spread of disinformation.

“You have to invest a lot more resources and improve your balance to clear that information faster, invest more resources in changing your matrix, because right now what is on top of your page is not right, but what it is is popular, “said Bhadelia, a medical worker for NBC News.

She also suggested that social media companies should partner with public health officials more to get the right information out to the people.

Facebook spoke out against the White House claims.

“We will not be distracted by allegations that are not supported by the facts,” said a spokesman. “The fact is, more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, more than any other place on the internet. More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook helps save lives. Point.”

Correction: This article has been updated to include Dr. Nahid Bhadelia’s view that “social media plays a huge role in amplifying misinformation” about Covid vaccines. An earlier version misinterpreted your quote.

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‘They’re killing individuals’ with vaccine misinformation

‘They’re killing people’ with vaccine misinformation

President Joe Biden said Friday that platforms like Facebook are killing people by allowing misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines through their services.

When asked what his message was regarding Covid disinformation on platforms like Facebook, Biden said: “They kill people”.

“I mean, they really, you see, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and that is – they kill people,” said Biden on the South Lawn of the White House.

Biden echoed previous comments made by White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

“We are dealing with life or death here, so everyone has a role to play in making sure there is accurate information,” said Psaki. “They are a private sector company. They will make decisions about additional steps they can take. It is clear that more can be done.”

Psaki’s comments come a day after she said the Biden government reported problematic posts for Facebook that spread misinformation.

“We regularly make sure social media platforms are aware of the latest dangerous public health narratives that we and many other Americans see on all social and traditional media,” she said. “We are working to work with them to better understand the enforcement of the guidelines for social media platforms.”

An example highlighted by Psaki is the spread of a false narrative that coronavirus vaccines cause infertility.

“This is disturbing, but an ongoing narrative that we and many have seen, and we want to know that social media platforms are taking steps to address it,” said Psaki. “This is inaccurate, incorrect information.”

Psaki noted that Facebook and other social media services can take additional steps to combat misinformation. This includes publicly sharing the impact of misinformation on their services, promoting quality information, and taking faster action against harmful posts.

“As you all know, information travels pretty quickly,” she said. “If it’s up there for days, when people see it, it’s hard to put that back in a box.”

Facebook spoke out against the White House claims.

“We will not be distracted by allegations that are not supported by the facts,” said a spokesman. “The fact is, more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, more than any other place on the internet. More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook helps save lives. Point.”

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Physician agrees with Biden that Fb is ‘killing folks’ with Covid misinformation

Not prudent to deploy vaccine boosters at this point: Ex-FDA director

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at Boston University, told CNBC that from a medical standpoint, she agrees with President Joe Biden’s claim that platforms like Facebook are killing people by putting misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines in theirs Allow services.

“I think social media plays a huge role in spreading misinformation that leads people not to take the vaccine, which is killing them,” said Bhadelia. “It’s the honest truth. Covid is a vaccine-preventable disease at the moment.”

Bhadelia cited results from the Kaiser Family Fund poll, which found that 54% of Americans either believe or cannot tell whether a common Covid vaccine myth is fact or fiction.

The US is struggling with a drop in vaccination rates and an increase in infections. All 50 states have reported spikes in Covid cases over the past week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The US has an average of more than 26,000 new cases a day, and that’s the highest number in two months, according to Johns Hopkins.

Bhadelia told CNBC The News with Shepard Smith that she believes social media companies can do a lot more to stop the spread of disinformation.

“You have to invest a lot more resources and improve your balance to clear that information faster, invest more resources in changing your matrix, because right now what is on top of your page is not right, but what it is is popular, “said Bhadelia, a medical worker for NBC News.

She also suggested that social media companies should partner with public health officials more to get the right information out to the people.

Facebook spoke out against the White House claims.

“We will not be distracted by allegations that are not supported by the facts,” said a spokesman. “The fact is, more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, more than any other place on the internet. More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook helps save lives. Point.”