Covid-19 vaccines: anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theories

Science Weekly

• Episode: Covid-19 vaccines: anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theories
• Website: Science Weekly
• Feed URL: https://www.theguardian.com/science/series/science/podcast.xml
• Duration: 00:19:50
• Published: 2020-12-24 06:00

As Covid-19 spread around the world, conspiracy theories about its origin, severity and prevention followed closely behind. Now attention has turned to vaccines. False claims circulated among anti-vaxxer groups include the theory that Covid vaccines are being used to implant microchips in people and that they will alter a person’s DNA. In the second of a two-part exploration into Covid vaccine scepticism, Nicola Davis hears from the Guardian’s UK technology editor, Alex Hern, and the researcher Joe Ondrak about how conspiracy theories emerge and spread, and if there’s anything we can do about them. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod