International
Vaccine misinformation spawns ‘pure blood’ movement
January 25 | By AFP | Anuj Chopra and Marisha Goldhamer |
Vaccine skeptics blocking transfusions for life-saving surgeries, Facebook groups inciting violence against doctors and a global search for unvaccinated donors — Covid-19 misinformation has bred a so-called “pure blood” movement.
The movement spins anti-vaccine narratives focused on unfounded claims that receiving blood from people inoculated against the coronavirus “contaminates” the body.
Some have advocated for blood banks that draw from “pure” unvaccinated people, while medics in North America say they have fielded requests from people demanding transfusions from donors who have not received the jab.
In closed social media groups, vaccine skeptics — who brand themselves as “pure bloods” — promote violence against doctors administering coronavirus jabs alongside false claims of mass deaths of vaccinated people.
Taking the hysteria to the next level was the recent high-profile case of a New Zealand couple, who sought to block life-saving heart surgery of their infant on the grounds that any blood transfused could have come from a vaccinated donor.
Their stance prompted a New Zealand court to take temporary custody of the baby to allow the procedure, but the case became a cause celebre among vaccine skeptics around the world.
“Cases like this spread like wildfire on both fringe and mainstream news sites and then social media, providing attention for anti-vaccine conspiracy theories,” Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, told AFP.
“There is absolutely no science behind these conspiracies. If you give blood from a vaccinated donor to an unvaccinated person, the person receiving the transfusion does not become vaccinated.”
‘Profitable falsehoods’
George Della Pietra, a Swiss naturopath founded Safe Blood Donation, a global mediation service that falsely labels mRNA coronavirus vaccines a “health threat” and seeks to connect unvaccinated blood donors with recipients.
The Zurich-based nonprofit offers to obtain “fresh or canned” unvaccinated blood for its patrons, according to Safe Blood’s website, which says it has a presence across western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, Asia and Africa.
AFP’s email to Pietra requesting comment elicited a reply from Safe Blood’s media director.
“There are a large number of scientists and doctors who not only have great concerns about the Covid vaccines, but are convinced that they also enter the body via the blood through the back door, so to speak, and remain there,” wrote Clinton Ohlers, the media director, quoting from the website.
That directly contradicts scientific assertions.
“Blood donations from individuals who have received a Covid-19 vaccine are safe for transfusion,” Jessa Merrill, from the American Red Cross, told AFP.
“Similar to other vaccines… the Covid-19 vaccine is designed to generate an immune response to help protect an individual from illness, but vaccine components themselves are not found within the bloodstream.”
Safe Blood’s members are required to pay an initial joining fee of 50 euros ($54), followed by 20 euros each subsequent year, according to its website.
“The ‘safe blood’ movement is absolutely based 100 percent in anti-vaccine misinformation,” said Wallace.
“As with all anti-vaccine misinformation, appealing to people’s fears is sadly profitable.”
Sperm and breast milk
The demand to remain “pure” reaches beyond blood to social media posts soliciting sperm from unvaccinated men — conspiracy theorists speculate online that the precious commodity will be the “next Bitcoin” — as well as breast milk from unvaccinated mothers.
These requests appear to stem from belief in the debunked claims that Covid vaccines can cause infertility or alter the human DNA.
Demand for “unvaccinated” blood is unclear, but experts say it would be a challenge to procure it in countries with high vaccination rates.
The Food and Drug Administration in the United States, where more than 80 percent of the population has received at least one Covid jab, says it does not require blood collectors to test for vaccination status.
Hospitals are also not able to inform the status of donated blood to patients.
“Is the US blood supply tainted?” screamed a headline from Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit founded by Robert Kennedy Jr, a known purveyor of vaccine misinformation.
It falsely asserted that the country’s vaccination campaign may have “contaminated the country’s blood supply.”
An AFP reporter who infiltrated one of the closed “pure bloods” Facebook groups found posts vilifying doctors administering vaccines as “an arm of the state.”
Other posts contained a cartoon image of a nurse holding a syringe and standing in a field full of skulls, and another of “victims” tumbling out of a vaccine bottle in crutches and wheelchairs.
Another post contained a video of a shirtless muscular man headbutting and smashing a car window in what was claimed to be a public outburst against vaccines.
International
China calls for dialogue amid rising Iran-Israel conflict
The Chinese government emphasized on Monday the importance of “creating the conditions to return to the proper path of dialogue” between Iran and Israel, which have exchanged attacks in recent days resulting in more than 20 Israeli and over 220 Iranian deaths.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun expressed deep concern at a press conference over the Israeli attacks on Iran and the “sudden escalation” of the military conflict.
Guo called on all parties to “take immediate measures to ease tensions and prevent the region from descending into further turmoil,” stating that “force cannot bring lasting peace.”
“If the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to intensify or even expand, the countries of the Middle East will be the first to suffer the consequences,” he added, while noting that China “will continue to maintain communication with the relevant parties, promoting peace and dialogue.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke last Saturday with his Iranian and Israeli counterparts to condemn the Israeli airstrike on Iranian territory, which he described as a “violation of international law” with the potential to trigger “disastrous” consequences.
In both calls, Wang reiterated China’s rejection of the use of force, defended diplomacy as the only solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, and offered China’s mediation to prevent further destabilization in the Middle East.
International
Suspect arrested in killing of Minnesota legislator and husband, governor Says
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Sunday the arrest of Vance Luther Boelter, 57, the main suspect in the killing of Democratic legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband in a Brooklyn Park suburb on Friday night.
Boelter, who also reportedly shot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife early Saturday morning, was apprehended in Sibley County following an intensive manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officers.
In a public statement, Governor Walz condemned Boelter’s “unthinkable actions,” which resulted in the death of a woman who “shaped the core of who we are as a state.”
“We cannot become numb to this. We are a deeply divided nation,” Walz said in a statement posted on his X account.
“We move forward not with hatred or violence, but with humility, grace, and civility,” he added.
Expressing solidarity with the victims’ families, Walz said the entire state of Minnesota is in mourning. He also thanked law enforcement for their bravery and professionalism: “They have saved lives,” he emphasized.
“As we heal, we will not let fear win,” Walz concluded. “We must honor Melissa by moving forward with understanding, service, and above all, humanity.”
Throughout Sunday, police and sheriff units searched a rural area in Minnesota for Vance Luther Boelter, a security company director and preacher who, according to Governor Walz, acted out of politically motivated violence.
International
40,000 tourists stranded in Israel amid airspace shutdown over Iran conflict
Approximately 40,000 tourists are stranded in Israel following the closure of the country’s airspace amid escalating hostilities with Iran, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism reported on Monday.
The ministry has set up a virtual office to provide information via email (virtual@goisrael.gov.il) and phone (+972-53-583-5808), as well as a Facebook page called Israel Virtual Tourist Office.
Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz is in contact with hotels and accommodations across the country to offer support to tourists in need, the ministry added.
Many stranded travelers are considering crossing overland into Jordan or Egypt to seek flights from those countries. The Israel Airports Authority reminded the public that land border crossings remain open.
Three German tourists stranded in Jerusalem told EFE today that they have not received any assistance from their country’s embassy in Israel, and their primary option currently is to cross into Jordan to catch a flight from there.
Since early Friday morning, Israel launched operations against Iran, targeting military personnel and infrastructure, including energy and nuclear facilities, as well as numerous residential areas in Tehran.
In response, Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, some of which have struck various locations across the country, leaving at least 24 dead so far, according to Israeli authorities.
Iranian health officials report at least 224 deaths, mostly civilians, including at least 17 senior military officials—nine from the Revolutionary Guard—and more than a dozen nuclear scientists.
The Israeli military has warned that many more “targets” remain, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared on Monday that it will continue missile attacks against Israel until its “destruction.”
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