After two years of pandemic living, I am utterly exhausted by the idea of wading through another Twitter war about masks in schools. So it was with some trepidation that I began reading through threads about the Urgency of Normal toolkit, a set of slides prepared by a group of nine prominent physicians who believe schools […]
Author: Kiera Butler
If You’re Wondering Who’s Paying for All That Ivermectin—You Are
Doctors have known for more than a year now that the antiparasitic drug ivermectin isn’t effective against Covid. The FDA has explicitly warned against prescribing it to Covid patients, but many physicians still do—and public and private insurance companies are paying for it. A study published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association […]
Desperate Patients Are Shelling Out Thousands for a Long Covid Cure. Is It for Real?
When Owen came down with Covid-19 in April 2021, he felt lucky to get away with a mild case. After a few days of a runny nose, he returned to his regular routine, including long sessions at the gym. But three weeks later, Owen, who was 25 at the time and working as an art […]
Were the Ultra-Conservative “Mama Bears” Youngkin’s Secret Weapon?
In his victory speech on Tuesday night, the victorious Republican nominee, Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, expressed gratitude to all the usual suspects—campaign volunteers, colleagues, and voters. But afterward, as he made his way through the crowd at his campaign headquarters, Youngkin thanked another group: “Way to go, mama bears!” he said. “You guys were awesome.” […]
We Debunk 5 Anti-Vax Myths About Kids’ COVID-19 Vaccines
On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee recommended that the agency authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5-11. That approval could come any day now—listen closely, and you may hear a collective sigh of relief emanating from millions of parents. But not everyone is celebrating: Anti-vaccine activists are already planting seeds of […]
Substack Is Profiting Off Anti-Mask and Anti-Vaccine Newsletters
If you subscribe to an email newsletter, there is a good chance that it is hosted by the popular platform Substack. The company makes it easy for anyone to bombard friends’ inboxes with regular missives: You just sign up, write your first edition, and ask everyone you know to subscribe—either for free, or for any […]
Yes, Colin Powell Was Fully Vaccinated. He Also Was Seriously Immunocompromised.
Colin Powell, the former US secretary of state, has died of complications from COVID-19 at age 84. The news of Powell’s death only broke a few hours ago, but anti-vaccine groups are already having a field day. Instead of mourning the passing of an accomplished soldier and leader, they’re fixating on the fact that Powell […]
This Is the Newest Front in Antivaxers’ War on Instagram Misinfo Controls
Janny Organically is a person. Or maybe she’s a few people, it’s hard to tell. At any rate, Janny Organically is an Instagram account, and, with 104,000 followers, a decently popular one at that. Fans enjoy stylishly composed memes in fonts and hues that look like they might belong on a tea towel in a […]
Inside the Private Facebook Groups Where Anti-Vaxxers Plot to Get Religious Exemptions
The Human Resources Department of the City of San Francisco is having a crisis of faith. Back in June, the city announced that it would mandate COVID-19 vaccines for its 36,000 workers. By September, upwards of 90 percent of them had complied. But then, about three weeks ago, when the department announced that it would […]
A Wildly Popular App for Churches Is Now an Antivax Hotbed
Tim and Kristy Turner believe they were called to spread the word of Jesus through apps. In 2005, the pair founded Subsplash, a technology company whose mission, as stated on its website, is “to glorify God and proclaim Jesus is Lord by building a great company that drives for humility, innovation, and excellence to delight […]