Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Tuesday that professionals who purposely spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines are “criminals.”
In an interview with the Atlantic Council think tank, Bourla said the world has become divided into two groups: those who are vaccinated and those who are not. Both groups, he said, are driven by fear — vaccinated people are afraid of contracting COVID-19 and unvaccinated people are “skeptical” of the vaccine and “mad that people are pressing them to get it. Those I understand. They are very good people, decent people.”
But Bourla has less empathy or understanding for what he said are the “small” number of people who have knowingly circulated misinformation. Those people can’t be qualified just bad people, he said, adding: “They are criminals. They have literally cost millions of lives.”
The interview was live-streamed online and the replay is available to watch.
Bourla’s comments come after a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Vaccine Monitor — an ongoing assessment of Americans' attitudes about the vaccines — revealed widespread belief in pandemic misinformation.
More than three-quarters, 78%, of the adults surveyed believed or were unsure about at least one of eight incorrect statements related to the vaccines or the pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, the findings broke along party lines, with unvaccinated adults and Republicans more likely to believe the incorrect information. Last month's Vaccine Monitor showed 39% of Republican voters remain unvaccinated, as opposed to 10% of Democrats.
The Biden administration has said fighting rapidly spreading misinformation is one of the biggest hurdles to ending the pandemic.
Also in the news:
►Education Secretary Miguel Cardona during a Monday interview with CBS "Face the Nation" said that given the widespread availability of vaccines and improved treatment against COVID-19, there "should be no need for remote or hybrid learning."
►The NFL fined Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers for violating COVID-19 protocols. The league conducted a review of Rodgers’ and the Packers' activities related to protocol after the quarterback tested positive for COVID last week.
📈Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 46.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 757,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 250.7 million cases and 5 million deaths. More than 194.1 million Americans — 58.5% of the population — are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘 What we're reading: Are you vaxxed? Some families face fraught divide over jabs.
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Honesty is best: Tips for talking to your children about getting vaccinated
If you’re taking your child to get vaccinated against COVID-19, experts say there are approaches that can make it easier for you both you and your child. It starts with maybe the oldest rule in the book: Honesty is the best policy.
Adam Keating, a general pediatrician with Cleveland Clinic Children’s, told USA TODAY parents can form a “strategy” to talk about the COVID-19 vaccine – and vaccines in general – with their children.
“Anytime you're doing a vaccine with a kid, it's worth having a conversation beforehand and a strategy before they get the vaccine,” Keating said.
“In general, my preference is that this is a conversation that the kid has time to prepare for beforehand, and they don't learn about it 30 seconds before it happens,” he added. “That doesn't give the kid control over the vaccine. And so much of the worry and the pain that happens with vaccines is about the lack of control and the lack of time to prepare.” Read more here.
— Marina Pitofsky, USA TODAY
GOP wants Kansas to move against vaccine mandates this month
Republican lawmakers in Kansas are pushing to enact new state laws before Thanksgiving to protect workers financially if they refuse to comply with federal mandates to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Top GOP legislative leaders called Tuesday for lawmakers to have a special session to consider proposals making it easier for workers to claim religious exemptions from vaccine mandates and providing unemployment benefits to workers who are fired for refusing to get inoculated. Both proposals emerged from a legislative committee meeting Tuesday and come in response to vaccine mandates announced in September by President Joe Biden.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly last week went public with her opposition to the Democratic president's mandates, but she also said she didn't think a special session is warranted. Lawmakers can force one if two-thirds of them sign a petition, and Republicans have big enough majorities.
Lawmakers adjourned for the year in May and aren't scheduled to reconvene until January.
— Associated Press
NFL clarifies COVID protocols after Aaron Rodgers ordeal
The NFL and NFLPA agreed to modifications to the COVID-19 protocols and informed teams in a memo on Tuesday, but there were no changes to the requirements about mask use for unvaccinated players.
Instead, the memo included a reminder that such players are required to adhere to those requirements in all cases inside of facilities.
“Clubs are reminded that any individual who is not fully vaccinated is required to wear a mask at all times when inside the club facility. This includes while giving media interviews or participating in media briefings conducted indoors either at the club facility or at the stadium on game day,” the memo read.
It added: “Individuals who are not fully vaccinated may conduct media interviews outdoors or in the practice bubble without wearing a mask, provided that physical distancing is maintained at all times.”
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ lack of mask use at news conferences made this a renewed topic of scrutiny last week after he tested positive for COVID-19.
— Mike Jones, USA TODAY
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