Technology & Innovation
Covid–19 Vaccine Rollout and Online Misinformation by
Gabriel Pérez Jaén
Almost a year on from the outbreak of Covid-19, the scientific community has broken historical records with the fastest ever developed vaccine. Scientists from every corner of the world working tirelessly, combined with significant amounts of public and private investment, have made this remarkable achievement possible. Along with the great efforts made by the scientific and business community, a parallel regulatory approval process needed to rise to the occasion. Medicine and health agencies in the US and UK have been the first in the Western world to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech and Astrazeneca vaccines, with the EU closely following their steps. More vaccines are expected to be approved in 2021. While it may be tempting to think that the battle is over, there is yet another challenge that authorities in the UK (and elsewhere in the world) need to tackle. The vaccine may be avail-
able, but it will always be the public’s choice to get vaccinated. As a result, public willingness to get the vaccine will depend on their trust of its safety. Communication is key to achieve this. One of the threats we are currently facing in the pandemic is misinformation spread across digital communication channels. Within the context of the Covid-19 vaccine, this issue is critical, and the battle against misleading content that prevents society from acquiring immunisation is far from over. This policy paper discusses a series of proposals directed at the UK government, intending to restore public mistrust in the Covid-19 vaccine. BACKGROUND Fake news, and disinformation are, unfortunately, common-
53
