Iran’s deadly fourth wave, Brazil’s Sputnik V spat and anti-vaxxers find a new myth
Welcome to the Infodemic and, if you just joined us, thank you for signing up! We are tracking how disinformation surrounding the coronavirus crisis is reshaping our world. Here are the narratives, both real and fake, that have grabbed our team’s attention this week and deserve yours.
The horrific situation in India is dominating global headlines, but Iran is also in the grip of its deadliest wave yet — the country’s fourth, if you’re counting. Daily deaths have been spiking since Persian new year celebrations in March. Conversations on Clubhouse, Twitter and Instagram have speculated that individuals in power have made sure that they have been vaccinated ahead of the wider population, and reports of queue-jumping officials have abounded. Rumors are fueled by the fact that on state media channels, record death numbers are not even top-line news. The nation has struggled to import vaccines as a result of US sanctions. This week, the government announced it is launching phase-three trials for Soberana, its own vaccine, which is jointly produced with Cuba.
Tensions are escalating between Brazil and Russia over the Sputnik V shot. The dispute started earlier this week, after Brazil’s health regulator rejected requests by several states to import some 30 million doses, citing safety concerns, even as the country battles a devastating coronavirus surge. The vaccine’s developers quickly fired back on Twitter, stating that the Brazilian regulator’s decision was politically motivated. Yesterday, they cranked up the pressure by threatening to sue the Brazilian agency for defamation. Brazil, in response, said the decision to deny importation of Sputnik V came from evidence that the vaccine carried a live version of a common-cold-causing virus, raising “questions about the integrity of the manufacturing processes.”
Still, Sputnik V has had a pretty good week. Its Russian manufacturer has signed agreements with Turkey for the sale of 50 million doses and for the local pharmaceutical firm Viscoran to produce the vaccine. Deals have also been struck with Mexico, China, Bangladesh and India. While Mexico will only handle the final filling and packaging of the vaccine, companies in China and India will produce it from scratch.