Covid-19: Misinformation flood hampers fight for virus vaccine in Africa

A patient receiving a seasonal influenza vaccine from a nurse at a local pharmacy clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa. Across the continent, Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms have been swamped by messaging that characterises vaccine research as harmful or even part of a plot to kill black people. — AP

DAKAR: The task of introducing a vaccine for the coronavirus faces an uphill struggle in Africa, where a flood of online misinformation is feeding on mistrust of Western medical research.

Across the continent, Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms have been swamped by messaging that characterises vaccine research as harmful or even part of a plot to kill black people.