2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.08.21255107
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# AstraZeneca vaccine disinformation on Twitter

Abstract: We analyzed 50,080 tweets about #AstraZeneca in English from 2021. We found that the news most common in the frequently retweeted tweets abound in negative information, and in many cases come from media sources well-known for disinformation. Also, we found that RT, a Russian state-sponsored news website, as well as Al Arabiya, a Saudi-owned news website, are frequently retweeted with information about the vaccine. Our analysis identified large coordination networks involved in political astroturfing and vaccin… Show more

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Cited by 6 publications
(3 citation statements)
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“…As shown previously, the level of trust in AZD1222 was decidedly lower in the Polish population when compared to mRNA vaccines [33]. Moreover, AZD1222 was also receiving generally bad press in Europe during the first months of 2021 due to reduced deliveries by the manufacturer and was subject to systemic misinformation spread via online social media [57]. Interestingly, the majority of the individuals vaccinated with Ad26.COV2.S did not express willingness to receive a booster dose of any available vaccine.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 84%
“…As shown previously, the level of trust in AZD1222 was decidedly lower in the Polish population when compared to mRNA vaccines [33]. Moreover, AZD1222 was also receiving generally bad press in Europe during the first months of 2021 due to reduced deliveries by the manufacturer and was subject to systemic misinformation spread via online social media [57]. Interestingly, the majority of the individuals vaccinated with Ad26.COV2.S did not express willingness to receive a booster dose of any available vaccine.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 84%
“…With the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries suspending the vaccination of the AstraZeneca vaccine and Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the safety of vaccines once again became the focus of discussion [63,64]. The controversy over the safety of vaccines greatly impacted the public's willingness to vaccinate [65], and negative sentiments about vaccines caused by blood clots were spread on social media [66].…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…8 While the incidence of VITT is low, there has been significant coverage of adverse vaccine effects in mainstream media and this has likely contributed to anxiety for those who have been vaccinated. [9][10][11] At our institution, many patients have presented to the emergency department with concerns regarding potential vaccinerelated effects, including headache, a common side effect. 12,13 Assessment of CVST using computed tomography venography (CTV) is standard of care in the acute setting; however, it has not been validated as a screening test.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%