Misinformation Is Already Undermining a COVID-19 Vaccine
There was some good news today from the world of coronavirus vaccine research: the Massachusetts-based biotech firm Moderna reported positive results in a phase 1 study of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine. Despite the progress, we’re still at least several months away from any approved vaccine, but that hasn’t stopped the anti-vaccine community—a minority group with a very loud microphone—from spreading skepticism to undermine it.
One recent study (yet to be peer reviewed) found that one in five Americans may be unwilling to get vaccinated whenever a COVID-19 vaccine is finally developed. Fueling this skepticism about vaccine safety is misinformation spread online. TIME reporter Tara Law says it was easy to find inaccuracies about potential COVID-19 vaccines with a simple Twitter search, for example. “I thought it was important to point out this issue,” she says. Though many people, including journalists, can sometimes underestimate the influence of misinformation, “there are a lot of people looking for information in the wrong places,” Law adds.
The misinformation has spread rapidly on platforms like Facebook and YouTube—including the infamous “Plandemic” video alleging without evidence that the COVID-19 outbreak was orchestrated by global elites, and conspiracy theories about health leaders like Dr. Anthony Fauci. Some cases appear to be explicit attempts to make content containing disinformation go viral, a professor at George Washington University tells Law.
If enough people opt out of the vaccine, the U.S. may not achieve the herd immunity necessary to return the country to normal. “We believe that these findings, although preliminary, suggest that many people who hold anti-vaccine beliefs may jeopardize the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine once it’s available,” wrote the authors of the recent study on COVID-19 vaccine skepticism.
More than 4.7 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 8 PM eastern time last night, and more than 315,000 people had died.
Here is every country with over 50,000 confirmed cases:
At the World Health Assembly, which convened virtually today, Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged $2 billion to the World Health Organization (WHO). The pledge comes a month after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would halt its contributions to the WHO and review the organization’s early response to the virus outbreak in China. During the assembly’s opening remarks, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he would initiate an independent evaluation of the organization’s early response to the outbreak, “at the earliest appropriate moment to review experience gained and lessons learned.”
Japan has officially sunk into a recession, as officials confirmed earlier today that the country just had its second straight quarter of economic retraction. These economic woes are likely to deepen in the coming months, the officials said.
Countries across Europe—including Greece, Ireland, Belgium and Italy—have started to ease social-distancing restrictions. Greece has started to open some of its ancient sites, some shopping malls and schools. Ireland has reopened golf courses, and Belgium has reopened some markets and museums, according to the AP.
After some confrontation between the Catholic church and Italian officials, church services resumed today in Italy with some restrictions. The restrictions vary for people across faiths, including Judaism, Islam and other religions who want to visit their place of worship, and Vatican City has implemented its own protective measures, but all must wear masks and keep a one-meter (three-foot) distance from each other, according to the AP. Italian shops, bars and restaurants also reopened today, but all must follow a 120-page protocol document put forth by the Italian government.
The Situation in the U.S.
The total number of COVID-19 diagnoses in the U.S. rose to more than 1,486,000 as of 8 PM eastern time yesterday, and the death toll surpassed 89,000.
Moderna today announced that its experimental vaccine showed promising results in early human trials. The company will now soon begin phase 2 of testing, in a study that will include 600 people. Phase 3 studies could begin as early as July. Perhaps in part due to the Moderna news, stocks opened higher on Wall Street this morning. Moderna stocks opened at 24% higher in early trading, according to the AP.
Also informing the marketplace, in a Sunday night interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell offered a little bit of optimism about the future of the U.S. economy: “This is not because there was some inherent problem, a housing bubble, or something like that, or the financial system in trouble, nothing like that,” he said. “The economy was fine. The financial system was fine. We’re doing this to protect ourselves from the virus. And that means that when the virus outbreak is behind us, the economy should be able to recover substantially.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said today that she would sign an executive order allowing for some businesses, including bars and restaurants to open in the northern part of the state starting this coming Friday, as the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths have started to decrease across the state. The businesses will be able to operate at 50% capacity.
All numbers are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of May 17, 8 PM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Some Options If You’ve Lost Your Health Insurance During the Pandemic
Some 27 million Americans could potentially lose their employer-based health insurance thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. TIME reporter Madeleine Carlisle walks through the alternatives. Read more here.
The Real Estate Industry Pushed for $160 Billion in Tax Breaks to Be Included in the U.S. Pandemic Relief Bill
Though the House voted to roll back massive real estate-based tax breaks for the very rich, the Senate is unlikely to do the same. These tax breaks made it into the CARES Act—the $2 trillion coronavirus response bill signed into law in March —thanks to the help of a lobbying firm connected to the Kushners. Read more here.
What Jane Austen Can Teach Us About Staying Home
“There’s a strangely comforting echo between the staid lives of her early 19th century women and current circumstances,” writes TIME’s Raisa Bruner. Read more here.
Meet One Teen Who Battled the New Syndrome Linked to COVID-19
Seemingly out of the blue, 14-year-old Jack McMorrow faced heart failure. As the New York Times reports, he’s one of hundreds of children who have been identified with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Read more here.
Lifeguards to Try to Protect Themselves While Working to Save Lives
Memorial Day is approaching swiftly, and many beaches throughout the country have started to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. This is what lifeguards are now doing to protect themselves and others. Read more here.
How One Organizer Is Helping Utah’s Navajo Nation Get Through the Coronavirus Crisis
“The clinic gave me a brand-new Toyota Tundra like a month ago with only 100 miles on it. Now it’s at almost 10,000,” says Pete Sands, a community organizer assisting Navajo Nation. “People talk about grassroots—I mean, this is pure grassroots.” Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today’s newsletter was written by Jasmine Aguilera and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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