Q&A 12/6/2021: Variants and Myths

Q&A 12/8/2021: Variants and Myths
Q: Explain and debunk the myth “The vaccines/the vaccinated are causing the variants.”

A: Those of us in science communication refer to this as “moving the goal post.”
What does that mean? That means that as soon as one narrative is proven false, the misinformationists move the goal posts further down the pseudoscientific field to provide a convenient narrative, otherwise known as “alternative facts,” which relieves them of responsibility not only for the existing circumstances, but for admitting they were mislead/were misleading others and causing harm in the first place.
Now, let's unpack the science:
Vaccination actually decreases variant evolution. So...the opposite of the myth in question. 

“Mutations occur during replication of a virus. Viral replication can only occur when the virus has infected a host. Therefore, reason stands that when our vaccination percentages increase, we are reducing the opportunity for the virus to mutate! Just another reason vaccination is positive for humanity. No body, no host.” Annicka Evans, PhD Virology.

So, plainly put, not enough people got vaccinated, and at the same time the CDC gave the greenlight to remove public health mask mandates (back in May 2021). This meant that there was absolutely nothing to stop the virus from spreading and mutating, and when a mutation occurs the genome sequence is altered in order to be more resilient and carry a higher viral load. 

Why don’t people spreading misinformation want to take the time to learn any of this? Because it would mean admitting that they were wrong, which would induce deep feelings of guilt and shame. The easiest way to avoid the truth is to move the goalposts, create your own truth, and rely on not enough people having access to science education and trustworthy news sources due to social media algorithms and hair-raising headlines.

Q: Explain and debunk the myth “Variants are manufactured by the media/the liberal government body to scare people.”
A: This myth stems from the alt-right/GOP party’s mistrust of the news. The radical term “fake news” was delivered and encouraged by the Trump Administration during his 2016 run, and was an evolution of his whack-a-doodle “birther,” claims against Obama in 2008. This is how fascist police states are born, through the demonization of journalism, science, and social justice. We need look no further than every single uprising against oppressive political parties and governments in all of history.
We know that variants are not manufactured by the news cycle, nor are variants a scare tactic by Democrats to get people jabbed with “poison” (as proliferated through anti-vaxx groups/alt-right supporters). They are manufactured by low or non-existent vaccination rates within our global community. 
The news cycle latches onto any and all new information revolving around this pandemic and tries incredibly hard to produce click-bait-worthy headlines--sometimes these headlines can be misleading, but trustworthy sources like NPR deliver factual information without high emotional stakes.
As a writer who has worked in journalism, I can tell you that some of my best pieces of writing have been disgraced by truly shitty headlines based on what the editors think will attract more readers. My original title for the essay I wrote for Yoga Journal--the one that landed me in the field of science communication--was “Vaccination and Ahimsa: The Importance of Herd Immunity in the Midst of a Global Pandemic.” It was of course changed to “Getting Vaxxed was My Act of Ahimsa,” because the term “Vaxxed,” offers a platform for speculation and anti-science commenters, as proven in the comments section of the teaser post YJ put out on Instagram.
The variant myth in question is an argument put in place by far right camps-- many of whom have infiltrated the wellness and yoga community by way of spiritual assimilation, supplement promotion, and cult-like rhetoric masked as “alternative health,”--in order to detract their followers and community leaders from actual science. 
The real conspiracy is how White Supremacy has so succinctly morphed itself into any and every type of spiritual, holistic, and “natural,” community throughout history, and how it continues to promote harmful disinformation--once from the shadows, and now in the broad daylight of the GOP stage and news outlets like FOX News.

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