Vaccines

Vaccine opponents cheer White House’s COVID-19 lab leak site

This week, vaccine opponents misrepresented a CDC autism study as the agency considers rolling back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

Vaccine opponents cheer White House’s COVID-19 lab leak site

This week, vaccine opponents misrepresented a CDC autism study as the agency considers rolling back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

This week, the White House sparked online debate by replacing a former COVID-19 vaccine resource site with content that promotes the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from an experimental virus in Wuhan, China. Although the site provided no new evidence to support the lab leak theory, vaccine opponents claim it proves they were right about the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines. Meanwhile, the HHS secretary’s comments about autism drew criticism and anti-vaccine speculation as social media users reacted to the CDC’s apparent plan to roll back universal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

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On April 18, the White House replaced the “COVID-19.gov” landing page with a page claiming to reveal the “true origins” of COVID-19. The new website suggests that SARS-CoV-2 originated in a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and accuses the Biden Administration of covering up evidence of a lab leak. The “evidence” on the site is pulled directly from the 2024 House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic report, which did not include any new or direct evidence to support its conclusion that a lab leak caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Several subcommittee members refuted these claims, stating that the “investigation did not uncover the origins of COVID-19. Both pathways remain plausible, and we are more or less where we started.” Many popular anti-vaccine and conspiracy social media accounts promoted the site as proof that COVID-19 was deliberately leaked from a lab as a bioweapon. Some posts called for health officials to be arrested and COVID-19 vaccines to be withdrawn, while others called COVID-19 vaccines and the so-called lab leak cover-up crimes against humanity, claiming health officials have “blood on their hands.”

During an April 16 press conference, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a number of false claims about autism, including repeatedly referring to an “autism epidemic” and claiming that autism is a preventable condition caused by environmental toxins. While Kennedy didn’t mention vaccines, his supporters used his comments to further spread the myth that vaccines cause autism. Many posts cited a recent CDC study finding that, in 2022, one in 31 children were diagnosed with autism. The study suggested that access to early evaluation and diagnosis resources—not environmental factors—influenced the rise in autism diagnoses. Several posts falsely claimed that California, which had the highest autism rates in the study, has the highest vaccination rates in the country. Other posts repeated the disproven claim that aluminum in vaccines causes autism. 

At an April 15 ACIP meeting, a majority of committee members supported ending the CDC’s recommendation that people 6 months and older stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations. The advisory committee is expected to vote in June to shift from a universal recommendation to a “risk-based” recommendation for those at highest risk of severe disease. Some online argued that the change may reduce COVID-19 vaccine access for children and younger adults, while others supported the decision, saying that “less vaccines are better.” Several posts expressed concern that the CDC is not trustworthy under Kennedy’s leadership and called on states to reduce their reliance on ACIP guidance. One post by a self-identified pediatrician claimed that adding COVID-19 vaccines to the CDC’s childhood immunization schedule damaged parents’ trust in childhood vaccines and increased vaccine hesitancy.

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Recommendations for public health professionals

Each week the Infodemiology.com team will provide messaging recommendations in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. These helpful tips can be used when creating content, updating web pages and FAQs, and to inform strategy for messaging about vaccines.

The White House’s promotion of misleading and unproven claims about COVID-19 may further weaken trust in public health entities. Messaging may explain that we do not know the exact origin of SARS-CoV-2 as there is not enough concrete evidence to form a consensus. Talking points may continue to emphasize that COVID-19 vaccination remains the best defense against severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID, and death.

Vaccine opponents are misusing a new CDC study about autism rates to promote the myth that vaccines cause autism. Messaging may emphasize that the study’s authors suggest improved access to early evaluation and diagnosis is a major driver of rising autism rates. Additionally, the study shows that some of the areas with the highest autism rates have the lowest childhood vaccination rates in the country. Debunking talking points may continue to highlight the decades of research showing vaccines don’t cause autism.

Reports that the CDC may end universal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations reveal widespread distrust in federal public health guidance from vaccine skeptics and supporters alike. Messaging may explain that COVID-19 vaccination protects against serious illness, hospitalization, long COVID, and death. Communicators may wish to highlight research showing that people of all ages benefit from COVID-19 vaccines.


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