Uğur Şahin reacted to fake news directed against him on the LinkedIn network. He hopes to dissuade those who have not yet been vaccinated from misconceptions about possible consequences of vaccination.
Uğur Şahin, head of the biotechnology company Biontech, defends himself against fake news concerning his own vaccination status. On the LinkedIn platform, he wrote: “There was misinformation on social media that allegedly I was not vaccinated. In fact, my wife and I both received three doses of the BioNTech vaccine.”
Fake news about Biontech boss
Afterwards, he explains why he has been reluctant to provide this information: “For several months, friends have been urging me to post a photo of my vaccination in order to dispel these false rumors. So far, I had refused because I believe that my communication shouldn’t be about me. I believe that my communication should contribute to scientific transparency and provide data, facts and knowledge. ” A phone call last week changed his mind, however.
“Fear is not rational”
He reports on a sad incident from his personal environment: “I was deeply sad to learn that an old school friend of mine is currently fighting for his life. He is battling severe COVID-19 and has been on a ventilator for three weeks. From his wife I learned that he and his family were not vaccinated. I didn’t ask why they made this decision. People have different personal reasons, but the most common cause seems to be fear, often fueled by misinformation and suspicion. “
His consequence of sharing a photo of his vaccination can be understood as an encouragement to face these fears: “Fear is not rational, but it always feels real and justified. It is the fear of people, who often turns into anger and hatred. Fear is difficult to fight with facts and figures. Sometimes fear can be overcome better by sharing personal experiences. So to reach those who are personally struggling with their fears, I want a picture of mine Share COVID-19 vaccination in early 2021. “
Video is from last year
Previously, the hoax spread about Ugur Şahin that he was allegedly not vaccinated. An interview excerpt was used to give the impression that the German doctor had not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19 in December 2021. In this excerpt, he was asked, “I heard you haven’t been vaccinated. Why not?” To which he replied: “I am not legally entitled to receive the vaccination at the moment. We are of course considering making it possible.”
The interview in which Şahin says that he has not yet received a corona vaccination, however, dates from December 2020 – at a time when only priority group 1, including the very old, was allowed to be vaccinated. The clip was used around a year later to deliberately mislead social media users and spread false reports. A company spokesman for Biontech made it clear to the Reuters news agency that Şahin had already been vaccinated at the beginning of 2021 and has since received a booster vaccination. His statements at the time are now “completely out of date”.
Source From: Stern
