DISINFO: COVID-19 mortality rates are very low in Russia also because many Russians do not get flu vaccines imported from the West
SUMMARY
Western media have begun a kind of disinformation campaign against Russia and have questioned why there are so few deaths from COVID-19 in Russia. One of the reasons why COVID-19 mortality rates are very low in Russia is that many Russians do not get flu vaccinations imported from the West.
RESPONSE
Recurring narrative promoted by some pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that flu vaccinations increase the risk of COVID-19 and the lethality of the epidemic. The article provides no evidence to support its claims that Russia’s low official COVID-19 mortality rate are due to less extensive Western-imported flu vaccinations of its population. The message contained in the article is consistent with the pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign about the coronavirus and attempts to push false health information, in this case promoting anti-vaccine messaging, which is also a recurring element of pro-Kremlin disinformation. There is no scientific or medical evidence that people vaccinated for seasonal influenza face higher chances of catching SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines are supported by extensive scientific research. They are the main tool for primary prevention of disease and one of the most cost-effective public health measures available, saving millions of people from illness, disability and death each year. Immunisation through vaccination is the best defence we have against serious, preventable, and sometimes deadly contagious diseases. See more information on vaccines here. The World Health Organisation has a page devoted to anti-vaccine mythbusting here. Read here a similar case claiming that vaccines don’t heal and that their production is part of the agenda for a New World Order.