Almost 8 in 10 U.S. adults believe or are unsure of at least one false statement about COVID-19, according to polling data published Monday.
The poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that 78 percent of U.S. adults surveyed said they believe or were unsure of at least one of eight false COVID-19 statements that the organization tested.
That includes 38 percent who believe the government is exaggerating the number of COVID-19 deaths, 17 percent who believe pregnant women should not get the vaccine and 18 percent who believe deaths caused by the vaccine are being hidden by the government.
The survey results highlight the problem of misinformation in the battle against COVID-19, which has been a leading concern in efforts to get more people vaccinated. KFF states in an analysis of the data that it shows “belief in pandemic-related misinformation is widespread.”
“Belief in COVID-19 misinformation is correlated with both vaccination status and partisanship, with unvaccinated adults and Republicans much more likely to believe or be unsure about false statements compared to vaccinated adults and Democrats,” the analysis adds.
Among unvaccinated people, 64 percent believed or were unsure about four or more of the false statements. That was significantly lower among vaccinated people, at 19 percent.
Among Republicans, 46 percent believed or were unsure about four or more false statements, compared to 14 percent among Democrats.
There was also a split based on which news sources people trusted.
Less than 20 percent of people who trusted local TV news, NPR, MSNBC, network news, or CNN believed or were unsure of four or more false statements.
Among those who trusted Fox News, that was higher, at 36 percent, and among those who trusted Newsmax it was 46 percent.
KFF notes, though, that its study does not indicate whether those news outlets caused the false beliefs or whether people who already had the false beliefs tend to trust those news outlets.
The poll was conducted Oct. 14-24 among 1,519 adults and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
============================================
US reopens doors to international travelers
© Associated Press/Seth Wenig
The U.S. opened its doors to international travelers on Monday after more than 18 months of COVID-19 restrictions, and some airports across the world celebrated the milestone with pomp and circumstance.
Starting Monday, fully vaccinated international travelers will be permitted to enter the U.S. as long as they show proof of inoculation and present a negative COVID-19 test that was taken within three days of travel. The new policy, which was first announced last month, applies to both land borders and air travel.
Celebrations: Travelers celebrated the new travel guidelines throughout the world on Monday.
At Heathrow Airport in London, employees welcomed passengers into the facility by waving American flags, according to The New York Times. Passengers at the airport who were boarding Virgin Atlantic flights were also greeted by performers dressed in red, white and blue garb.
Also at Heathrow, rival airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic commemorated the milestone day by synchronizing the departure times of both their flights to New York. The two aircraft took off at the same time on parallel runways.
At airports across Europe, excited groups of passengers lined up to board planes headed for the U.S., Agence France-Presse reported.
In Mexico and Canada, masked pedestrians, cars and motor homes were reportedly crowding along the countries’ borders with the U.S. as travelers prepared to enter the U.S.
==========================================
Venezuela begins vaccinating 2-year-old children with Cuban Vaccine
Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the media at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela September 22, 2021. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria
CARACAS, Nov 8 (Reuters) – Venezuela has begun vaccinating children aged 2 to 11 against COVID-19 with the Cuban Soberana 2 vaccine, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on Monday.
Cuba, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro’s government, says its Abdala, Soberana 2 and Soberana Plus vaccines have an efficacy greater than 90%.
While Cuban officials say initial results are similar to those of other vaccines that significantly reduce transmission, severe disease and death, critics have complained that those results have not yet been peer-reviewed.
“In Venezuela, the use of the Soberana 2 vaccine, a Cuban vaccine, has already been authorized to vaccinate children between 2 and 11 years old,” Rodriguez said live on state television.
From a school in western Caracas, Rodriguez added that medical workers had started vaccinating children whose immune systems were compromised.
There are approximately 3.5 million children between 2 and 11 years old in Venezuela, according to Health Minister Carlos Alvarado, who accompanied Rodriguez on the live broadcast.
Venezuelan medical and scientific academies, as well as pediatric unions, have expressed concern about the use of Cuban vaccines, saying that information on their safety and efficacy has not been published in scientific journals and their quality has not been verified in independent clinical trials or approved by the World Health Organization.
Most of the vaccines doled out in the OPEC member nation have been the Russian Sputnik V and the Chinese-made Sinopharm and Sinovac, which arrived through the global COVAX program.
Maduro’s government has said that 70% of Venezuela’s 28 million people have been vaccinated and that it expects to reach 90% by the end of the year.
But the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says just 32% of the population has been inoculated.
Venezuela has reported 413,135 infections and 4,965 deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
Syringes with the Pfizer vaccine are prepared for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine clinic aimed at youths ages 12 or older at La Colaborativa in Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S., June 11, 2021. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Nov 9 (Reuters) – New Zealand beefed up security measures at its parliament, as thousands of people gathered to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and government lockdowns, while Britain said it would recognise COVID-19 vaccines on the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing later this month. read more
DEATHS AND INFECTIONS
* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news
EUROPE
* Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 250 million on Monday as some countries in eastern Europe experience record outbreaks, even as the Delta variant surge eases and many countries resume trade and tourism.
* Germany’s infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, and doctors warned they will need to postpone scheduled operations in coming weeks to cope.
* Denmark proposed reinstating the use of a digital “corona pass” to be presented when Danes visit indoor bars and restaurants. read more
AMERICAS
* The number of Boeing Co (BA.N) employees seeking a vaccine exemption on religious or medical grounds has reached more than 11,000 – or nearly 9% of its U.S. workforce – a level many times higher than executives initially estimated, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
* The Biden administration told a court on Monday it has clear authority to impose a COVID-19 vaccine rule on employers with at least 100 staff and that a court’s order on Saturday blocking the rule could cost dozens or even hundreds of lives daily. read more
* A U.S. federal judge on Monday ruled United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL.O) can impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on its employees that only provides unpaid leave for workers who are exempted for medical or religious reasons.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Unvaccinated people are 16 times more likely to end up in intensive care units or die from COVID-19, Australia’s New South Wales state said in a report, with officials urging people to get inoculated as Australia begins to live with the coronavirus. read more
* India ordered 10 million doses of Zydus Cadila’s (CADI.NS) DNA COVID-19 vaccine, while a toxic smog shrouding New Delhi alongside infection risks persuaded many students to stay home as schools reopened in the country. .
MIDDLE EAST
* Israeli health officials will decide behind closed doors on whether to allow child COVID-19 vaccinations. read more
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
* Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to seek authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for people aged 18 and above as soon as this week, the Washington Post reported. read more
* Regeneron (REGN.O) said one dose of its antibody cocktail reduced the risk of contracting COVID-19 by 81.6% in two to eight months, following a late-stage trial. read more
ECONOMIC IMPACT
* Asian shares followed Wall Street higher in early trade on Tuesday as the passage of a U.S. infrastructure bill boosted sentiment while oil prices gained on the outlook for energy demand in an expansive global economy.
* Concerns over higher inflation and tighter monetary policy have taken the mantle as the top concern for market participants, pushing aside the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Federal Reserve said in its latest report on financial stability. read more
* The Philippines’ annual economic growth slowed in the third quarter as renewed COVID-19 restrictions crimped demand, giving the central bank more reason to keep interest rates at a record low for a while. read more
The post US: Poll Shows Widespread COVID-19 Misinformation, US Opens Borders to Vaccinated, Corona World Summary appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.