White House COVID-19 advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci criticized media outlets on Saturday for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, emphasizing that "it would have been impossible to eradicate smallpox and polio if the current misinformation had existed back then." Fauci's remarks came shortly after a back-and-forth between Joe Biden and Facebook, with the U.S. President accusing the platform of disseminating misleading information about vaccines and "killing people." Facebook rejected these criticisms, asserting that it is "saving lives" by implementing measures that allow users of the platform better access to vaccines.
Fauci's comments were made in response to a question from a CNN reporter about whether he believed "we would have been able to triumph over smallpox or eradicate polio if Fox News had been warning people every night about vaccine issues." Fox News, which has consistently supported former President Donald Trump, has heavily broadcast information questioning COVID-19 vaccines.
After an initial vaccination campaign across the country, the spread of the disease significantly slowed in the United States. Currently, COVID-19 case numbers are rising in states with the lowest vaccination rates, as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads rapidly. The goal announced by Biden to vaccinate 70% of adults by July 4, the national holiday, was not achieved. Initial vaccine skepticism in several American regions has turned into outright hostility, with anti-vaccine news amplified by conspiracy theories regularly disseminated by conservative media.
