- Sputnik International, 1920
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Pentagon’s Smear Campaign Against China’s COVID Vaccine Echoes Anti-Vax Attack on Russia

© Sputnik / Alexander Kryazhev / Go to the mediabankAmpoule with vaccine "Sputnik Light" against COVID-19
Ampoule with vaccine Sputnik Light against COVID-19 - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.06.2024
Subscribe
Recent revelations about the Pentagon’s clandestine smear campaign targeting China’s COVID-19 vaccine cannot but call to mind similar dirty tactics used against Russia, other rival vaccines during the pandemic.
Politically-motivated smear campaigns and double standards in the coverage of coronavirus vaccines abounded in western reporting throughout the pandemic. The latest revelations about the secret Pentagon-led anti-vaccine disinformation campaign against the Global South echo similar targeting of Russia’s Sputnik V jab.

A sweeping effort was launched by the US Department of Defense during the coronavirus pandemic to undermine the Chinese Sinovac jab was recently revealed by a Reuters investigation. No less than 300 fake accounts were created by the Pentagon on X (formerly Twitter) to disparage the efficacy and safety of China’s vaccine, face masks and test kits. The campaign was tailored to target audiences in the Philippines to counter China’s growing influence, said the report. It later spread to target people in the Middle East and Central Asia as a full-blown anti-vax effort disparaging rival vaccines.

In this Tuesday, June 22, 2021 file photo, a health worker inoculates a woman with China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination center in Manila, Philippines - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.06.2024
World
Pentagon Waged Anti-Vax Disinfo Campaign Against China - Media
Efforts to discredit both Russian and Chinese vaccines were waged with total disregard for millions of lives. At the same time, mega deals pushing Western vaccines were expedited despite the trail of significant reactions and even death linked to them.
No wonder the pandemic reverberated with scandals.
Russia’s Sputnik V, which was the first officially registered vaccine in the world, certified in 66 countries covering over 3 billion people, proving an efficacy of over 91.6%, faced various obstacles which Moscow slammed as politically-motivated. The European Medicines Agency procrastinated in certifying the jab. Then the developers of the vaccine clashed with Brazil's health regulator Anvisa, as it also delayed authorization of the drug and banned it from being imported. The scandal resulted in a legal defamation lawsuit, with Sputnik V's developers accusing the Brazilian agency of spreading false information about the vaccine.
Empty vials of the second dose of the Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) vaccine are pictured at the San Martin hospital, in La Plata, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina January 21, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.03.2021
World
US Department of Health Admits to Pressuring Brazil Into Rejecting Authorisation of Sputnik V
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had no qualms admitting in its 2021 report that it used "diplomatic relations" in order to force Brazil, one of the countries worst-hit by the pandemic, to reject authorization of the Russian jab. The American authorities put their actions down to the need to "mitigate efforts" by Russia to boost its "influence" in the region, which, as the department's paper argues, would be detrimental to the "US’ safety and security".
Furthermore, investigative journalist John McEvoy revealed in March 2021 that a US health attaché persuaded “Brazil to reject the Russian COVID-19 vaccine”. It was suggested that American health attachés sent to India, Mexico, and South Africa were likely charged with similar responsibilities.
The jab developed jointly by US Pfizer and German BioNTech ended up in the spotlight after several patients who had received them suffered either temporary side effects, which halted the drug's application, or died soon after.
In January 2021, Le Monde revealed leaked contents of Pfizer vaccine-related documents of the European Medicines Agency. It appeared the EMA was pressured into fast-tracking approval of the jab despite concerns regarding its effectiveness and safety.
Pharmacy technicians received a delivery of Pfizer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S., December 14, 2020.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.01.2021
Le Monde Reveals Contents of Pfizer Covid Vax-Related Docs Stolen From EU Medicine Watchdog
The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was also dogged by numerous side effects. Health authorities around the world reported dozens of cases of potentially lethal blood clots in the brain, with nations restricting the jab’s use. The vaccine’s use was permanently suspended in Norway and Malaysia, and temporarily halted in multiple European countries in March 2021 after dozens of reports of complications involving blood clots.
South Africa, Canada and Indonesia also temporarily halted use for safety reviews before giving it the all clear, citing the “rare” chance of severe complications.
Vials labelled AstraZeneca COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine and a syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.05.2021
World
Over 30,000 Vaccine Side Effects Reported in Sweden, With AstraZeneca Undisputed Leader
US pharmaceutical giant Moderna filed two lawsuits against competitors, Pfizer and BioNTech, over their alleged infringement on its mRNA patent to sell billions of doses of their Comirnaty jab. Moderna claimed that Pfizer and BioNTech illegally copied the mRNA technology without its consent and then used it to develop Comirnaty – the COVID-19 jab of which they sold billions of doses.
A nurse prepares a dose of the Sinovac's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine  - Sputnik International, 1920, 26.01.2021
World
Chinese Outlet Slams Double Standards of Western Media Coverage of Sinovac, Pfizer Vaccines' Issues
The ongoing ‘Pfizergate’ scandal broke out in April 2021. The New York Times had revealed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen negotiated a contract worth an estimated over €20 billion (over $21 billion) for 1.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses via text messages with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. In June 2022, the European Ombudsman concluded that the contract negotiation was a case of ‘maladministration’.
Amid the scandals and double dealing, Russia's President Vladimir Putin had slammed the political battles being waged over coronavirus vaccines. He suggested at the time that some countries did not appear to be interested in protecting their own citizens against the pandemic.
Empty vials of the second dose of the Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) vaccine are pictured at the San Martin hospital, in La Plata, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina January 21, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 04.06.2021
Russia
President Putin Slams Countries Failing to Approve COVID Vaccines Over Political Motives
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала