Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday that there has been "some debate" about the second jab of the coronavirus vaccine, immediately prompting another wave of criticism for what many see as the wealthy and powerful downplaying the risk of COVID pandemic as well as the shading of the all-hands-on-deck roll out of the US vaccination campaign.
"For sure wise for elderly or immunocompromised to take the vaccine", Musk said, responding to one of his followers who expressed concerns in regard with some posts on Facebook that may prompt elderly people to refuse to get a vaccine. "Some debate about the second jab though. Quite a few negative reactions to that."
His remarks immediately had many netizens joining the thread, urging Musk to "stop spreading disinfo" and to instead share the data that shows that the second jab is safe.
Actually, Elon, the 2nd jabs are *remarkably* safe
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) March 13, 2021
Over 200 million people around the world have had them and save for exceptionally rare allergic reactions and short-term (<24-48 hrs) side-effects they have a superb track recordhttps://t.co/8kKvC1gFH9
Some even took shots at Musk's Tesla company products in response to his vaccine claims.
As many negative reactions as there have been from drivers using Tesla's (fake) Autopilot? Probably not! pic.twitter.com/iEpwmQrQvO
— John Hamburger (@BronzeHammer) March 13, 2021
Others shared their story of receiving the vaccine, despite experiencing some side effects.
I had a slightly adverse (and not unexpected given my history) reaction to first dose of vaccine. Proudly plan to get my second dose here soon, even though it’s expected to provide worse side effects, because it’s the right thing to do... just throwing it out there 😊🤙
— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) March 13, 2021
You're extraordinarily irresponsible for questioning the second dose. Quite a few with no reaction to it, including me.
— VK (@Sk79253884) March 12, 2021
While sometimes allergic reactions to the vaccine do emerge, the CDC research data says there are "very few" such cases in the United States. According to official health science recommendations, those who had an allergic reaction to the first component of the vaccine should not get a second jab.
Musk has been questioning COVID pandemic issues since the outbreak began, tweeting in March 2020 that "the coronavirus panic is dumb" and immediately landing in hot water.
The US remains the nation worst hit in the ongoing global pandemic, with over 29.3 million cases registered and at least 530,000 related fatalities.
