Coronavirus misinformation is an 'urgent public health threat', says US Surgeon General

More than 62 million people remain unvaccinated in the United States even though data presented by the White House COVID-19 Task Force on Wednesday shows that unvaccinated people are 20 times more likely to die from coronavirus than vaccinated people are.

Only 1.7% of vaccinated people in North Carolina have tested positive for the virus, according to the latest data from the state health department.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy says that this hold out is due to coronavirus misinformation.

"A recent poll indicated that nearly 80% either believe or are unsure about a common COVID-19 myth," Murthy said.

Some common vaccine myths are that the vaccine can affect a woman's fertility, that people who already have had coronavirus don't need a vaccine, or that the vaccine is rushed and cannot be trusted, according to John's Hopkins Medicine.

"I've even heard some of this myths from my own family members," he said. "I've had to talk to my own family members about why this content is harmful."

Unvaccinated people ages 40 to 49 are around 55 times more likely to die from COVID-19 when compared to vaccinated people, data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows.

"People may think when you're in a certain age range, you may not benefit from vaccines," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. But data from Texas shows that unvaccinated young adults age 18 to 29 are nearly 40 times more likely to die from the virus than vaccinated young adults, he said.

By comparison, the hospitalization rate in Virginia among those who are vaccinated is extremely low — only .0035% of those who got the vaccine are later hospitalized.

"Any concerns about the efficacy of vaccines, I hope we put that to rest," Fauci said. "The data that I show you does not lie. Vaccines protect you, your family and your community."

More coronavirus misinformation is circulating on social media as vaccines were approved for children 5 to 11, health officials said.

"We're seeing new waves of misinformation hitting the inboxes of parents," Murthy said.

Study: Latinos more likely to share misinformation

Murthy called on social media companies to better address misinformation on their platforms.

"We also need these companies to move faster and more effectively than they are currently moving," he said.

In response, Murthy released a misinformation tool kit for people who want to help stop the spread of coronavirus myths in their community.

"Health misinformation takes away our freedom to make decisions about our health based on facts and science," he said.