Scott M. Jensen is an American physician and politician. A member of the Republican Party,he was a member of the Minnesota Senate from 2017 to 2021. He was the Republican nominee for governor of Minnesota in the 2022 election.
Paul Ellis Marik is an American medical doctor and former professor of medicine who until his resignation in January 2022 served as chair of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk,Virginia,and was also a critical care doctor at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. His research interests include sepsis and tissue oxygenation. In August 2023 the American Board of Internal Medicine informed Marik his certification was to be revoked for spreading misinformation.
Bret Samuel Weinstein is an American podcaster,author,and former professor of evolutionary biology. He served on the faculty of Evergreen State College from 2002 until 2017,when he resigned in the aftermath of a series of campus protests about racial equity at Evergreen,which brought Weinstein to national attention. Like his brother Eric Weinstein,he is considered part of the intellectual dark web. Weinstein has been criticized for making false statements about COVID-19 treatments and vaccines,and for spreading misinformation about HIV/AIDS.
Children's Health Defense (CHD) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit activist group mainly known for anti-vaccine disinformation,and which has been called one of the main sources of misinformation on vaccines. Founded under the name World Mercury Project in 2007,it is chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The group has been campaigning against various public health programs,such as vaccination and fluoridation of drinking water. The group has been contributing to vaccine hesitancy in the United States,encouraging citizens and legislators to support anti-vaccine regulations and legislation. Arguments against vaccination are contradicted by overwhelming scientific consensus about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Its $15-million budget is funded through donations from individuals and affiliate marketing revenues.
Del Matthew Bigtree is an American television and film producer who is the CEO of the anti-vaccination group Informed Consent Action Network. He produced the film Vaxxed:From Cover-Up to Catastrophe,based on the discredited opinions of Andrew Wakefield and alleges an unsubstantiated connection between vaccines and autism.
Stella Gwandiku-Ambe Immanuel is a Cameroonian-American physician and pastor. In mid-2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic,a video went viral on social media platforms in which Immanuel said hydroxychloroquine can cure COVID-19,and that public health measures such as social distancing and the wearing of face masks were ineffective and unnecessary. The platforms removed Immanuel's videos and posts,which they said promoted misinformation related to the pandemic.
America's Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) is an American right-wing political organization. Affiliated with Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin and publicly led by Simone Gold,the group is opposed to measures intended to control the COVID-19 pandemic,such as business closures,stay-at-home orders,and vaccination. The group promotes falsehoods about the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines.
Pierre Kory is an American critical care physician who gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for advocating widespread off-label use of certain drugs as treatments for COVID-19,as president and co-founder of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). Kory testified twice to the U.S. Senate regarding COVID-19. During his testimony in December 2020,Kory erroneously claimed that the antiparasitic medication ivermectin was a "wonder drug" with "miraculous effectiveness" against COVID-19.
Gary Stubblefield is an American politician. A Republican,he has been a member of the Arkansas Senate,elected from District 6,since 2013. He was previously a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives,a quorum court,and a school board.
Peter Andrew McCullough is an American cardiologist. He was vice chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center and a professor at Texas A&M University. During the COVID-19 pandemic,McCullough promoted misinformation about COVID-19,its treatments,and mRNA vaccines.
Robert Wallace Malone is an American physician and biochemist. His early work focused on mRNA technology,pharmaceuticals,and drug repurposing research. During the COVID-19 pandemic,Malone promoted misinformation about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) is a group of physicians and former journalists formed in April 2020 that has advocated for various unapproved,dubious,and ineffective treatments for COVID-19. The group is led by Paul E. Marik and Pierre Kory. Both would later join conservative or right-wing groups promoting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
John Lorimer Campbell is an English YouTuber and retired nurse educator known for his videos about the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially,the videos received praise,but they later veered into misinformation. He has been criticised for suggesting COVID-19 deaths have been over-counted,repeating false claims about the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment,and providing misleading commentary about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. As of June 2023,his YouTube channel had 2.8 million subscribers and over 653 million views.
Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic includes reporting on the deaths of anti-vaccine advocates from COVID-19 as a phenomenon occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. The media also reported on various websites documenting such deaths,with some outlets questioning whether this practice was overly unsympathetic. Reports noted phenomena including "deathbed conversions",in which vaccine opponents reportedly changed their minds and began encouraging vaccination before dying,with these claims meeting continued skepticism by vaccination opponents;and on groups of deaths within specific demographics,such as anti-vaccine radio hosts.
Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug that is well established for use in animals and people. The World Health Organization (WHO),the European Medicines Agency (EMA),the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA),and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) all advise against using ivermectin in an attempt to treat or prevent COVID-19.
This timeline includes entries on the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. This includes investigations into the origin of COVID-19,and the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 which is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. Social media apps and platforms,including Facebook,TikTok,Telegram,and YouTube,have contributed to the spread of misinformation. The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN) reported that conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 began on "day one". CAHN reported on March 16,2020,that far-right groups in Canada were taking advantage of the climate of anxiety and fear surrounding COVID,to recycle variations of conspiracies from the 1990s,that people had shared over shortwave radio. COVID-19 disinformation is intentional and seeks to create uncertainty and confusion. But most of the misinformation is shared online unintentionally by enthusiastic participants who are politically active.
The World Council for Health is a pseudo-medical organisation dedicated to spreading misinformation to discourage COVID-19 vaccination,and promoting fake COVID-19 treatments.
Jacob Daniel Banta is an American politician and musician who currently represents the 4th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party.
The Real Anthony Fauci is a 2021 book by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in which he attacks Anthony Fauci and his three decades of leadership of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In the book,Kennedy offers disinformation about Fauci's role during the HIV epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and HIV/AIDS denialism. The book was described as "controversial" by The Guardian and Publishers Weekly and a "conspiracy theory extravaganza" by Science-Based Medicine.
A Letter to Liberals is a 2022 book by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The book accused the Democratic Party of the United States of lacking critical thinking,and urged the party to protect civil liberties,specifically the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
