Anti-maskers are finally willing to don masks, ironically, in response to a conspiracy theory that suggests they are at risk from those who have been vaccinated.
After months of refusing to wear masks to guard themselves against the Covid-19 pandemic, anti-maskers are turning towards protective gear as some believe vaccinated people “shed” certain proteins onto those who have not taken the jab, which could lead to unwanted effects. The main concern for those that believe this theory is that the proteins cause irregular menstruation, infertility and miscarriages.
While the theory has little scientific or evidential backing, many anti-vaxxers have actively encouraged their followers to protect themselves against the vaccinated. Anti-vaxxers have long held the belief that COVID-19 was a hoax with the ultimate aim of culling populations, and the vaccine is what will do the job.
However, researchers and health experts have consistently debunked their claims and say anti-vaxxers fundamentally misunderstand how vaccines work but have been repeatedly on the receiving end of outrage and abuse.
Anti-vaxxers typically believe that the costs of vaccines outweigh their benefits, despite a long list of academic literature to the contrary. They also believe that vaccines can cause autism, which too has been proven to be unfounded.
There have been several instances where anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers have refused to follow Covid protocol and even gathered in large rallies protesting the imposition of masking as an infringement of their legal rights.
Social media and the internet have largely been held accountable for the burgeoning distrust of vaccine and health protocols as many of these unregulated spaces allow for people to disseminate misleading information with few checks on accuracy.
The anti-vaxxer community is also currently split on the issue of whether masks can actually protect them from the “shedding”, with a blog on Natural News, an anti-vaccination conspiracy site, saying wearing a mask was useless to protect against “spike protein transmission.” The website instead recommends “pine needle tea” as a possible safeguard.
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