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There is no second wave of the pandemic and there is no virus – this is the leitmotif of Russian state television Russia Today.
Or maybe there is no second wave? This question was posed on its website in early December by Russian state television RT / Russia today / in German, referring to former Pfizer concern associate Dr. Mike Eiden, billed as “one of the most famous experts who be suspected of spreading dubious conspiracy theories. “
Eiden announced in late November that the pandemic was over, RT reports. He also referred to an article by Eiden, published in mid-October on the Lockdown Skeptics website, in which the former Pfizer collaborator argued that there was no second wave of coronavirus, that the population had long since developed immunity. therefore, it is not necessary to be vaccinated.
Too strange a theory, which was disproved by the rapid spread of the virus in the fall and the number of new deaths. That’s why Facebook flagged the relevant Eiden posts with a warning and additional explanation that those in question were suspects. However, RT continued to spread the confusing and already rejected allegations, as well as other dubious information related to the pandemic.
The committee that knows best
RT also dedicated a series of materials and podcasts to the so-called “Coronavirus Committee”, constituted at the initiative of lawyers. There have been discussions on YouTube for hours, inviting guests like Wolfgang Vodarg, known as a conspiracy theories distributor. The committee’s website states, for example, that “the development of the pandemic in Germany has almost completely subsided.”
Other false things are being said. Numerous studies have “shown that mortality from coronavirus is similar to that of normal seasonal flu” or that “there is no evidence of long-term effects on the health of COVID survivors.” Furthermore, “it is likely that more than 80 percent of people have developed immunity to the coronavirus because they have already contracted other viral diseases caused by similar viruses.” The website of the so-called committee also claims that healthy people with no prior illnesses have nothing to fear. There is no scientific evidence to support these theories, however, RT emphasizes that the “Committee” is doing a “sensational job.”
Germany and Russia: two different points of view
RT voluntarily shows on long live broadcasts and protest rallies by opponents of restrictive measures and vaccines in German cities, often accompanied by speeches brimming with conspiracy theories. But while the various dubious and already disproved theories about the coronavirus circulating in Germany are widely publicized, the dangers of the virus in Russia itself are clearly being evaluated in very different ways.
RT broadcast, for example, surveys with residents of Moscow and Kaliningrad who have already been immunized against the coronavirus. They all agree that they are not afraid of the vaccine because it was created by local medicine and that they are not afraid of a new infection. However, there is no doubt about the danger of a pandemic or criticism of the Russian state’s measures to combat the disease.
Support for populists, anti-vaxers and conspirators
Analysis of the data shows that RT has become one of the most preferred sources of information among right-wing social media users. And platforms like Crowdtangle also allow you to find out which people use and distribute certain content.
For example, several sites close to the right-wing populist alternative for Germany have shared information that there was no second wave of the pandemic. The same applies to known virus and vaccine deniers. Russian state television reaches a limited number of people in Germany with its German program, but it is more than obvious that it is going to great lengths to sow doubts and conspiracy theories among them.
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