Raab hits out at Russia over ‘ shabby’ disinformation on Oxford vaccine
Fo r e i g n S e c r e t a r y Dominic Raab has condemned a reported Russian disinformation campaign to undermine confidence in a British coronavirus vaccine as "utterly deplorable".
Pictures, memes and video clips designed to induce fear about the vaccine being developed by Oxford University have been created in Russia with a view to spreadi ng t hem round t he world through social media, it has been reported.
The crude imagery suggests the vaccine could turn people into monkeys because it uses a chimpanzee virus as a vector - even though it is a common practice in vaccine development.
One meme even portrays Boris Johnson as a yeti walking into Downing Street under a caption which reads: "I like my bigfoot vaccine".
Another shows a chimpanzee in a white lab coat brandishing a syringe while another features Uncle Sam with the message: "I want you – to take the monkey vaccine".
I t was r e p or t ed t hat t he campaign is being targeted at countries where Russia wants to sell its own Sputnik V vaccine, as well as at Western nations.
Mr Raab warned that the campaign could cause damage at a time when the world should be coming together to fight Covid- 19.
"It's a shabby piece of disinformation but it is very serious because it is an attempt to disrupt the attempts to find a safe vaccine," the Cabinet minister said.
"We know that Russia has a track record of using disinformation as a foreign policy tool, but actually any attempt to spread lies about Covid- 19, and the vaccine in particular, when we're trying to come together as an international community to resolve a global pandemic is utterly deplorable."
Oxf o r d va c c i ne di r e c t o r Prof Andrew Pollard said fear campaigns about vaccines in a time of crisis were a “risk for all of us”.
“Anything that undermines t r ust i n t he public healt h approach we’re taking could be extremely dangerous,” he said.
“Vaccines are such an important cornerstone for children. Anything that drives that wider view in societies around the world that there is something unsafe about them, really risks their health.”
Pascal Soriot, chief executive of Astrazeneca, the pharmaceutical giant that plans to mass- produce the Oxford vaccine if cleared for public use, said it is important that the public is not deceived by such actions.
"Misinformation is a clear risk to public health,” he said. “I urge everyone to use reliable sources of information, to trust regulatory agencies and to remember the enormous benefit vaccines and medicines continue to bring to humanity.”
Doctor Hilary Jones branded the Russian attempts at disinformation "utterly ridiculous and shameful".
He said: "Oxford have a fant astic reputation, t hey are doing this safely and effectively. I would put my money on Oxford every time."
Britain, the United States and Canada earlier this year accused Russian spies of trying to steal details of coronavirus vaccine research in other countries.