A tweet by Elon Musk about the COVID-19 vaccine has gone viral, after he posted about "disinformation."
The Tesla CEO took to X, formerly Twitter, which he also owns, to share a montage of news headlines that said the various vaccines for the virus were "100% effective."
"Have you heard dis information?" Musk captioned the tweet on Tuesday.
But political journalist Ed Krassenstein questioned the billionaire.
"I think efficacy changes are a result of new strains and the vaccine immunity wearing off. It's stupid anyone ever claimed it was 100% effective. No vaccine is 100% full-proof," Krassenstein replied.
Then Musk's tweet to Krassenstein's comment went viral racking up 3.2 millions views.
"My concern was more the outrageous demand that people *must* take the vaccine and multiple boosters to do anything at all. That was messed up," Musk wrote.
"Until the Supreme Court invalidated Biden's exec order, SpaceX and many other companies would have been forced to fire anyone who refused to get vaccinated! We would not have done so. I would rather go to prison than fire good people who didn't want to be jabbed."
Musk continued: "As for myself, I got original Covid before the vaccine was out (mild cold symptoms) and had to get three vaccines for travel. The third shot almost sent me to hospital. How many other people out there have symptoms that are actually from the vaccine or Covid treatment, rather than Covid itself?
"As for those who didn't take any vaccine, well [Novak Djokovic] just won a record number of grand slams ... It's not like I don't believe in vaccines – I do. However, the cure cannot be potentially worse than the disease."
Musk added that the "public debate over efficacy should not be shut down."
"There is also great potential for curing many diseases using synthetic mRNA, so let's not throw the baby out with the bath water."
Musk has often spoken out about COVID vaccine mandates, but he came under fire in July after NBA star LeBron James' son suffered a cardiac arrest.
Bronny James, 18, also a basketball player was rushed to hospital, which his family said in a statement was the result of a "functionally significant congenital heart defect."
"We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing," Musk tweeted. "Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common."
Dr. Matthew Martinez, director of sports cardiology at the Atlantic Health System in New Jersey, told CNN in response to Musk's tweet: "Myocarditis is definitely a cause of sudden death in young athletes, but not a common threat."
British Medical Journal research found male adolescents and young adults are at the highest risk of myocarditis after receiving mRNA COVID vaccinations, such as those produced by Pfizer or Moderna, with an estimated 140 cases per million people among the group. The prevalence of the condition is thought to be lower in other categories.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
