Vaccine skeptics blocking transfusions for life-saving surgical procedures, Facebook teams inciting violence in opposition to medical doctors and a world seek for unvaccinated donors — Covid-19 misinformation has bred a so-called “pure blood” motion.
The motion spins anti-vaccine narratives targeted on unfounded claims that receiving blood from individuals inoculated in opposition to the coronavirus “contaminates” the physique.
Some have advocated for blood banks that draw from “pure” unvaccinated individuals, whereas medics in North America say they’ve fielded requests from individuals demanding transfusions from donors who haven’t obtained the jab.
In closed social media teams, vaccine skeptics — who model themselves as “pure bloods” — promote violence in opposition to medical doctors administering coronavirus jabs alongside false claims of mass deaths of vaccinated individuals.
Taking the hysteria to the subsequent stage was the current high-profile case of a New Zealand couple, who sought to dam life-saving coronary heart surgical procedure of their toddler on the grounds that any blood transfused might have come from a vaccinated donor.
Their stance prompted a New Zealand courtroom to take non permanent custody of the infant to permit the process, however the case grew to become a trigger celebre amongst vaccine skeptics all over the world.
“Cases like this spread like wildfire on both fringe and mainstream news sites and then social media, providing attention for anti-vaccine conspiracy theories,” Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist and assistant professor on the University of Illinois Chicago, instructed AFP.
“There is absolutely no science behind these conspiracies. If you give blood from a vaccinated donor to an unvaccinated person, the person receiving the transfusion does not become vaccinated.”
‘Profitable falsehoods’
George Della Pietra, a Swiss naturopath based Safe Blood Donation, a world mediation service that falsely labels mRNA coronavirus vaccines a “health threat” and seeks to attach unvaccinated blood donors with recipients.
The Zurich-based nonprofit affords to acquire “fresh or canned” unvaccinated blood for its patrons, in line with Safe Blood’s web site, which says it has a presence throughout western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, Asia and Africa.
AFP’s e-mail to Pietra requesting remark elicited a reply from Safe Blood’s media director.
“There are a large number of scientists and doctors who not only have great concerns about the Covid vaccines, but are convinced that they also enter the body via the blood through the back door, so to speak, and remain there,” wrote Clinton Ohlers, the media director, quoting from the web site.
That instantly contradicts scientific assertions.
“Blood donations from individuals who have received a Covid-19 vaccine are safe for transfusion,” Jessa Merrill, from the American Red Cross, instructed AFP.
“Similar to other vaccines… the Covid-19 vaccine is designed to generate an immune response to help protect an individual from illness, but vaccine components themselves are not found within the bloodstream.”
Safe Blood’s members are required to pay an preliminary becoming a member of payment of fifty euros ($54), adopted by 20 euros every subsequent yr, in line with its web site.
“The ‘safe blood’ movement is absolutely based 100 percent in anti-vaccine misinformation,” mentioned Wallace.
“As with all anti-vaccine misinformation, appealing to people’s fears is sadly profitable.”
Sperm and breast milk
The demand to stay “pure” reaches past blood to social media posts soliciting sperm from unvaccinated males — conspiracy theorists speculate on-line that the valuable commodity would be the “next Bitcoin” — in addition to breast milk from unvaccinated moms.
These requests seem to stem from perception within the debunked claims that Covid vaccines may cause infertility or alter the human DNA.
Demand for “unvaccinated” blood is unclear, however specialists say it will be a problem to acquire it in nations with excessive vaccination charges.
The Food and Drug Administration within the United States, the place greater than 80 p.c of the inhabitants has obtained a minimum of one Covid jab, says it doesn’t require blood collectors to check for vaccination standing.
Hospitals are additionally not capable of inform the standing of donated blood to sufferers.
“Is the US blood supply tainted?” screamed a headline from Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit based by Robert Kennedy Jr, a recognized purveyor of vaccine misinformation.
It falsely asserted that the nation’s vaccination marketing campaign could have “contaminated the country’s blood supply.”
An AFP reporter who infiltrated one of many closed “pure bloods” Facebook teams discovered posts vilifying medical doctors administering vaccines as “an arm of the state.”
Other posts contained a cartoon picture of a nurse holding a syringe and standing in a area stuffed with skulls, and one other of “victims” tumbling out of a vaccine bottle in crutches and wheelchairs.
Another publish contained a video of a shirtless muscular man headbutting and smashing a automobile window in what was claimed to be a public outburst in opposition to vaccines. —Agence France-Presse
