China has strongly denounced the United States for spreading misinformation and defaming other countries’ symbols, reacting to a recent news report revealing a selective crusade through the US military to discredit Chinese-made vaccines, a spokesperson said on Monday. of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Health industry professionals have also warned of the serious consequences of spreading incorrect information about vaccines.
Reuters reported on Friday that the U. S. military introduced a secret program at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media platforms to sow doubts about the efficacy and protection of vaccines made by Chinese developer Sinovac Biotech, among other medical materials from China.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference in Beijing on Monday that such moves “only divulge the hegemony and hypocrisy of the United States,” adding that the United States “should behave as a country should behave. “
“The United States has had a practice of manipulating social media to spread false information, poison public opinion and defame the symbol of other countries. China firmly opposes this,” Lin said.
He added that when Washington needs to involve and repress a country, it ignores the fact and “coordinates its resources” to defame and discredit it. “This applies not only to the production and dissemination of false data about Chinese vaccines, but also to aspects such as the defamation of the popular Belt and Road Initiative and the spread of rumors about the “overcapacity” of the new Chinese electric vehicles.
“The foreign network remains lucid in the face of such American behavior,” he said.
Sinovac Biotech has expressed fear over misinformation and rumors circulating online during the COVID-19 pandemic, suspecting organized and intentional campaigns to attack the company. In a writing to China Daily on Sunday, the company under pressure that online misinformation about vaccines has not only affected its reputation but also undermined public acceptance of the vaccines.
“Vaccine hesitancy and other negative rumors can cause panic, disrupt stability, and put pressure on families and individuals,” the company said.
Sinovac warned that the long-term stigmatization of vaccines could harm public acceptance in science, public health institutions and governments, and the implementation of public health policies. The company said it has published extensive data on the effects of clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccines and the real-world effects of their use. More than 600 studies conducted around the world have shown the protection and efficacy of vaccines, according to the press release.
“Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been brought under control and Sinovac has made its contribution, the world is still not at peace,” the company said. “We will continue to focus on diseases to safeguard the health of humanity in the future. “
Global fitness experts have denounced skepticism and vaccine hesitancy and called for concerted efforts to build public trust.
Joseph Bresee, an epidemiologist and director of respiratory virus prevention systems at the Taskforce for Global Health, a US-based nonprofit, said hesitancy and suspicion about vaccines is more serious than before the COVID pandemic. -19, and that many populations are less willing to do so. be vaccinated. “Addressing this challenge will require a lot of resources, a lot of methods adapted to other people, a lot of complexity, but obviously it cannot be ignored,” he said in an interview with the Global Alliance for Women. Vaccines and Immunization, or Gavi, in May.
Contact the writers at wangxiaoyu@chinadaily. com. cn