112 COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Theories and STS

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people declined to receive a vaccine designed to prevent severe symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. During this unprecedented time, rampant spread of conspiracy theories led to an “epidemic of uncertainty” (Pertwee, Simas, & Larson, 2022). Mass amounts of misinformation amplified feelings of doubt and confusion regarding the security of this new technology. Protests against vaccination mandates received wide exposure on social media and amplified global attention of conspiracy theorists. The spread of misinformation resulted in many regressive consequences, including the harassment of healthcare workers and difficulty achieving herd immunity.

Connection to STS

Scientific progress and technological advancements are not always met with societal acceptance. Even though the advancement in vaccination technology reduced hospitalizations from the disease, many workers in healthcare were harassed by vaccine conspiracy theorists (Zadrozny, 2023). After receiving the vaccine, nurse Tiffany Dover fainted while answering questions about the new medication. She quickly recovered, but many people made up stories about her credibility and even her death. She had a history of fainting, and she continued to encourage other people to get the vaccine. However, the vaccine was new at this time. The general public was unaware of the side effects and possible dangers of this new medicine. Dover received death threats and was harassed by people who were opposed to the vaccine. Actions like this contributed to the spread of the virus and regression in achieving herd immunity. Contagious diseases such as COVID-19 lead to suspicion in addition to illness, which can reduce the solidarity of a community (Porta, 2023).

History of anti-vax movement

The COVID-19 vaccine is not the only vaccine that has been met with skepticism. In 1998, Andrew Wakefiled published The Lancet claiming that there was a correlation between autism and the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine. While the research in this article was discredited and the author’s medical privileges have been revoked, up to 20% of people surveyed in the early 2000s said that this research was true. In 2008, the United Kingdom announced they were experiencing a Mump epidemic as a result of vaccination rates falling below the recommended 95% (Jolley & Douglas, 2014).

A large-scale study by Islam et al. (2021) looked at 637 rumors and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine from 52 different countries. They found that 91% of the claims were false or misleading, and most of them spread through Facebook and Twitter. The researchers noticed three major “waves” of misinformation that lined up with spikes in public search activity on Google. Many posts claimed the vaccine could change DNA, cause infertility, or include microchips for tracking people. These false claims spread quickly by playing on fear and confusion. The authors suggest that one way to fight this is through “cognitive inoculation”  giving people facts early to help them recognize and reject misinformation. Islam et al. (2021) also found that many of these false claims worked because they triggered strong emotions like fear and anger, making people more likely to believe and share them without checking if they were true.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers and health experts described the spread of false information as an “infodemic.” This meant that misinformation was spreading as quickly as the virus itself, often making it harder for people to know what to believe (Birchall & Knight, 2022). The World Health Organization warned that this flood of confusing messages could be dangerous, especially when people needed clear health advice. Social media helped these false ideas go viral, with some conspiracy theories reaching millions of people in just a few days. The term “infodemic” also shows how misinformation can act like a virus — it spreads fast, changes over time, and can harm people if it goes unchecked.

Consequences of misinformation

The spread of vaccine misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic led to serious

public health problems. According to the National Library of Medicine (2021), many people chose not

to get vaccinated because they believed rumors about dangerous side effects, infertility, or DNA changes. In some countries, these false claims slowed vaccine rollouts, created public protests, and reduced overall trust in health systems. Misinformation didn’t just cause confusion—it put lives at risk, especially in communities with limited access to accurate medical information or care.

To fight the effects of misinformation, researchers

emphasize the importance of clear and trustworthy public health communication. The National Library of Medicine (2021) recommends using local leaders, religious figures, and community organizations to share accurate information in ways that people understand and trust. They also point out that spotting false claims early and responding quickly can help prevent them from spreading. These strategies are key not only during COVID-19, but for any future health emergencies where trust in science and medicine will be critical.

Figure 1: AI-generated image showing how COVID-19 vaccine misinformation can cause fear and  distrust, while clear public health communication builds understanding and confidence.

Social media and vaccine conspiracy theories 

The amount of input about the vaccine on social media created mass confusion. Copious amounts of viral misinformation contributed to the creation and dissemination of conspiracy theories

about COVID-19 and later the vaccine. Various social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter served as platforms for the spread of misinformation regarding COVID-19 and its vaccine. In April 2020, Twitter reported that every 45 milliseconds someone tweeted about COVID-19 (Pertwee, Simas, & Larson, 2022). Claims that the government was “microchipping” and tracking people who received the vaccine lead to a widespread fear of this and distrust in public health agencies. These claims exploited the algorithms social media use to spread content that encourages more interaction and response from the users. Conspiracy theorists exploited viewers by manipulating their emotions and preyed on the feeling of uncertainty (Knight and Butter, 2023). Conspiracy theories regarding the safety of the vaccination were also spread, going as far to claim that the vaccine could be part of a plot to harm certain groups of people.

Covid-19 Conspiracy theories debunked

Many of the conspiracy theories are focused on how the vaccine can cause a detriment to health as opposed to immune support.One of the more mundane conspiracy theories was that th

e COVID-19 vaccine did not work. However, COVID-19 contraction rates dropped significantly after distribution of vaccinations in the spring of 2021. As a result, hospitalization visits and deaths resulting from the disease decreased (Cassata, 2021). Those protesting against the COVID-19 vaccine have claimed that it makes people magnetic and infertile. As of June 2021, there have been no reports of people becoming magnetic or infertile. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended the COVID-19 vaccine for people who are breastfeeding, pregnant, and for people who want to become pregnant. Government mistrust is another contributing factor to many conspiracy theories surrounding vaccinations. Some conspiracy theorists believe that the government has placed microchips in the vaccine in order to track everyone who receives the vaccine. However, there is no evidence that there are microchips small enough to be inserted with a needle (Cassata, 2021).

Conclusion

The anti-vax movement led to many regressive actions in modern society. Wide exposure to misinformation resulted in the spread of various conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. The spread of vaccination myths can be combated by promoting vaccination and spreading accurate information regarding the vaccine (Cassata, 2021).  Organizations including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration provide accurate and reliable information regarding the contents and security of vaccinations provided in the United States.

Chapter questions

1. How did social media help spread false information about the COVID-19 vaccine?

2. Why did some people not trust the COVID-19 vaccine, even though it was meant to help?
3. What problems did vaccine conspiracy theories cause during the pandemic?
4. What are some ways we can stop false information from spreading in the future?
5. How can learning from past vaccine fears help us in future health emergencies?

References

Cassata, C. (2021, June 22). Doctors debunk popular COVID-19 vaccine myths and conspiracy theories. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/doctors-debunk-9-popular-covid-19-vaccine-myths-and-conspiracy-theories

Jolley, D., & Douglas, K. M. (2014). The effects of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories on vaccination intentions. PLoS ONE, 9(2).https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089177

Knight, P., & Butter, M. (Eds.). (2023). Covid Conspiracy Theories in Global Perspec

tive. Routledge

Pertwee, E., Simas, C., & Larson, H. J. (2022). An epidemic of uncertainty: Rumors, conspiracy theories and vaccine hesitancy. Nature Medicine, 28(3), 456–459. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01728-z

Porta, D. D. (2023). Regressive Movements in Times of Emergency : The Protests Against Anti-Contagion Measures and Vaccination During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Oxford University Press.

Zadrozny, B. (2023, April 10). She became an anti-vaccine icon, and vanished. she’s finally ready to talk about it. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/tiffany-dover-conspiracy-theorists-silence-rcna69401

Islam, M. S., Kamal, A.-H. M., Kabir, A., Southern, D. L., Khan, S. H., Hasan, S. M. M., … & Seale, H. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine rumors and conspiracy theories: The need for cognitive inoculation against misinformation to improve vaccine adherence. *PLOS ONE, 16*(5), e0251605. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0251605

Birchall, C., & Knight, P. (2022). Infodemic: Metaphor, measurement and moral panic. In Conspiracy theories in the time of COVID-19 (pp. 44–62). Taylor & Francis. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/clemson/reader.action?docID=7134517&ppg=77

National Library of Medicine. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine rumors and conspiracy theories: The need for cognitive inoculation against misinformation to improve vaccine adherence. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8115834/

AI Use Disclosure:

ChatGPT by OpenAI was used to help organize information and develop clear explanations about COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories and their connection to science, technology, and society (STS). It supported the writing process by helping summarize complex research and suggest ways to present the material in an easy-to-understand format. All final content was reviewed and edited with additional academic sources. ChatGPT. https://chat.openai.com

Images

Leonardo.Ai. (2024). Consequences of vaccine misinformation [AI-generated image]. https://leonardo.ai

Alt Text

A split-scene image showing one side with a person surrounded by conspiracy headlines on their phone, and the other side with people receiving vaccines in a safe, well-lit clinic.