According to an interview in the East London Advertiser, some of the students allowed to go back to school on March 8th may have decided against the vaccine because of the conspiracy theories they have seen circulating on the internet.
More than 31 million UK adults have had at least one dose of either the AstraZeneca (Oxford), Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The dramatic drop in fatalities tells us the vaccine is effective in getting the world back to normal.
But social media is playing a major part in the distribution of fake narratives about the the vaccine. One of the crazy ideas circulating amongst students is that the jab is being used to insert microchips into us. DNA altering vaccines have been a hot topic on social media as well, with some children sharing posts that say their DNA will completely change once they receive the jab.
And even though the first person to take the Oxford vaccine is healthy for 91, there are posts out there saying that she is an actor and that the real Margaret Keenan died in 2008. The craziest conspiracy theory is that the Spanish Flu that killed around 50 million people after the First World War was caused by a vaccine!
Maria Fyfe, a 16-year-old student in year 11, told me, “I am terrified to get the vaccine. I’ve heard so many stories: from people dying straight away after having it, to having a permanent chip forced into your skin to track down your every move.”
But Muhammed Asir, also 16 and also in year 11, said, “I’ve heard so many crazy stories from online to my friends. Still, I will definitely be getting the vaccine. My parents have had it, and they are completely fine. Anyone that doesn’t want to get it is just selfish because it’s the best thing for the future”.
What these theories have in common is the idea that as vaccines are forced on us by governments – and you can’t trust the government – then you can’t trust the vaccine. During my investigation I found out that another recent anti-authoritarian playground vaccine rumour was that if you did not have the vaccine you would never be allowed to leave the country.
But given recent developments that particular theory may not be not so far-fetched.
