Coronavirus scientists use TikTok to combat ‘rampant misinformation’ about vaccines

Scientists developing coronavirus vaccines around the world have begun documenting their work on social media in a bid to combat “rampant misinformation” which is undermining public trust in treatments.

Researchers working on vaccines in the UK, US, South Africa, India and Brazil will post videos to TikTok, Twitter and Instagram with the aim of “demystifying” the science.

The Team Halo campaign, led by the United Nations and the London-based Vaccine Confidence Project, comes amid fears conspiracy theories will reduce uptake of inoculation against Covid-19 when jabs are ready.

Studies have shown a significant minority of people in the UK and US believe coronavirus misinformation, such as unsubstantiated claims that the virus was created in a Chinese lab or part of a global plot to enforce vaccination.  

University of Cambridge researchers warned last week there was a “clear link” between such conspiracy theories and “hesitancy around any future vaccine” and that this could limit the impact of the eventual rollout of jabs.

Melissa Fleming, United Nations under-secretary-general for global communications, said: “Rampant misinformation has undermined public trust in vaccines. Team Halo is about reclaiming that trust. These are incredible people doing exciting science as part of a global collaboration. We should be celebrating them helping us get to the end of this awful pandemic.”

The scientists who have volunteered to take part in Team Halo will take questions from members of the public and directly challenge vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories spreading online.

Some of the first videos posted on social media as part of the project have also featured Imperial College London researchers explaining how vaccines work and responding to news reports of coronavirus studies.

Dr Anna Blakney, a bioengineer involved in developing a Covid-19 vaccine development at Imperial College London, said: “I'm excited to share some of the incredible science and people involved in my work. I'm used to spending time pipetting samples and analysing data. TikTok is a new frontier for me but I'm enthusiastic about demystifying our work and making it accessible to the world.”

Video-sharing app TikTok is primary social media partner for the scheme, with Team Halo hoping it will allow the scientists to tell educational stories in engaging ways and make complex science available to a diverse audience across different age groups.

"Creating confidence in the vaccine requires building empathy and trust with people who may have concerns over the safety of the vaccine and the speed at which it has been developed,” said Heidi Larson, founder of the Vaccine Confidence Project, which she set up at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2010 in response to rising vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

She said Team Halo would allow researchers to explain “cutting-edge science that will lead us out of this pandemic, while showing them to be normal, caring human beings like the rest of us”.

Teams of researchers are developing coronavirus vaccines across the world, and there are hopes the first jabs could ready in late 2020 or early next year.