World Doctors Alliance Explained

World Doctors Alliance
Formation:2020
Founder:Mohammad Iqbal Adil
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Type:Non-profit organization
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Area Served:or
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Fields:Medical conspiracy theory
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The World Doctors Alliance is a pseudo-medical organization of anti-vaccine activists, COVID-19 denialists and conspiracy theorists which was established in May 2020 by Mohammad Iqbal Adil.[1] [2] [3]

The various claims made by the World Doctors Alliance have been widely rejected by the medical community and it is considered to be a source of misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Claims

The World Doctors Alliance has made various false claims regarding COVID-19 and vaccines which have been universally rejected by the legitimate medical community and described as "absurd, inarticulate, the arguments poorly formed, sentimental and fail to reference any evidence".[12] [13]

Members

The World Doctors Alliance is made up of twelve academics and doctors. A number of the members are either discredited in their fields, not qualified on issues related to virology or vaccines, or have been banned from practicing medicine in certain regions.[14] [15]

  1. Founding member Mohammad Iqbal Adil was suspended from teaching medicine in the UK in June 2020 after an investigation by the General Medical Council found he had been posting videos on social media claiming that Covid-19 was a hoax being spread by elites to control society.[16] [17]
  2. Dolores Cahill is a former professor of immunology at University College Dublin. She was asked to resign as vice chair of the Innovative Medicines Initiative in June 2020 after making misleading medical claims regarding COVID-19.[18] She was later forced to resign as chair of the Irish Freedom Party after "promising to debunk the narrative of the pandemic" in March 2021.[19] Cahill's claim that COVID-19 is hoax has been rejected by the legitimate medical community.[20]
  3. Zac Cox, a holistic dentist, has similarly claimed COVID-19 is a hoax and compared protesting against the pandemic to be similar to the plight his grandfather experienced fighting against the Nazi regime.[21]
  4. Psychiatrist Andrew Kaufman was described as "calmly denying reality" by McGill University for his role in spreading misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and claiming that a COVID-19 vaccine would make humans "genetically modified organisms".[22] Kaufman has also rejected the existence of the viruses behind the Common cold, Polio and HIV/AIDS and has said that “demon possession may actually be a factor in some mental illness”.[23]
  5. Heiko Schoening (Germany) was arrested in August 2020 at the Trafalgar Freedom Rally which aimed to oppose a second lockdown in the UK and oppose vaccination efforts.[24] Schoening has claimed "the pandemic is a hoax".[25]
  6. Heinrich Fiechtner is a former political member of Alternative for Germany, a German nationalist and right-wing populist political party.[26] Fiechtner was expelled from the Stuttgart State Parliament in 2021 by the police after claiming that COVID-19 is a hoax.[27] He has accused those promoting the COVID-19 vaccine as being “disciple[s] of Josef Mengele”.[28]
  7. Scott Jensen (Minnesota politician) has claimed that COVID-19 figures have been inflated for monetary gain, a statement which Politifact cited as a major contributor to their "Lie of the Year 2020: Coronavirus downplay and denial".[29]
  8. Elke De Clerk is a general practitioner. She has claimed that "we do not have a pandemic" and calls COVID-19 a "normal flu virus". Both claims have been rejected by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the legitimate medical community.[30] De Klerk also claimed that people who take the COVID-19 vaccine will "officially become the property of Microsoft” and that COVID-19 testing PCR kits were “a kind of nasal vaccination”. De Klerk has stated she no longer practices as a doctor and is working to "create new earth".[31]
  9. Mikael Nordfors was barred from practicing medicine in Denmark after being investigated for malpractice and suggesting alternative medicine could be a potential cure for COVID-19.[32] He has also been investigated for eleven cases of treating patients with Ozone therapy.[33]
  10. Hilde De Smet has claimed that face masks cause an excess of carbon-dioxide, leading to neurological damage. This claim has been rejected by the medical community.[34]
  11. Vernon Coleman is an English conspiracy theorist who has claimed COVID-19 is a hoax, that vaccines are dangerous and that face masks cause cancer. Such claims have been repeatedly debunked by the medical community.[35] [36]
  12. Johan Denis was suspended in January 2021 as a general practitioner for claiming COVID-19 was a hoax and for giving patients a "mask-exemption certificate" on demand.[37]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2021-10-21. Group that spread false Covid claims doubled Facebook interactions in six months. 2021-11-09. the Guardian. en.
  2. News: Analysis Meet the doctors' group spreading covid conspiracy theories in plain sight on Facebook. en-US. Washington Post. 2021-11-09. 0190-8286.
  3. Web site: Spencer. Christian. 2021-10-21. Alarming new report shows Facebook misinformation still spreading like wildfire. 2021-11-09. TheHill. en.
  4. Web site: Dube . Tendai . "World Doctors Alliance" shares false and misleading claims about the Covid-19 pandemic . Fact Check . 11 September 2021 . en . 17 November 2020.
  5. News: Dupuy . Beatrice . Doctors falsely claim coronavirus no worse than the flu . 11 September 2021 . AP NEWS . 23 October 2020 . en.
  6. Web site: WORLD DOCTORS ALLIANCE LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK . find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk . Gov.uk . 11 September 2021 . en.
  7. Web site: 2020-10-22. The group World Doctors Alliance spreads misinformation about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus, and the reliability of diagnostic tests. 2021-09-30. Health Feedback. en-US.
  8. Web site: 2020-12-10. COVID-19 vaccine candidates show high efficacy and a safe profile in clinical trials, contrary to claims in viral video. 2021-09-30. Health Feedback. en-US.
  9. Web site: Coburg. Tom. 2021-09-12. Right wing proponents of coronavirus disinformation are putting lives at risk. 2021-09-30. The Canary. en-GB.
  10. News: 2021-07-23. Fact Check-No evidence that 87,000 Dutch nurses have refused a COVID-19 vaccine. en. Reuters. 2021-09-30.
  11. Web site: Facebook 'failing' to tackle COVID-19 misinformation posted by prominent anti-vaccine group, study claims. 2021-12-29. ABC News. en.
  12. Bowen . Michael . 13 July 2020 . Surgeon who said covid-19 was a hoax has been suspended pending GMC investigation . British Medical Journal . BMJ 2020 . 370.
  13. Web site: Jones . Craig . A video posted by a European-based group called World Doctors Alliance falsely claims the novel coronavirus is "a normal flu virus" . 11 September 2021 . Newswise.com . Newswise.
  14. Aoife Gallagher, Mackenzie Hart and Ciarán O’Connor. (2021). Ill Advice: A Case Study in Facebook’s Failure to Tackle COVID-19 Disinformation. ISD Global. ISDGlobal.org. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ill-Advice_v3.pdf
  15. News: Gallagher. Conor. Dolores Cahill Covid network continues to grow despite Facebook pledges. 2021-11-09. The Irish Times. en.
  16. Dyer . Clare . Surgeon who said covid-19 was a hoax has been suspended pending GMC investigation . BMJ . 6 July 2020 . 370 . m2714 . 10.1136/bmj.m2714 . 32631817 . en . 1756-1833. free .
  17. News: These Are The So-Called 'Top Class Doctors And Nurses' Backing Anti-Mask Protests . HuffPost UK . 5 September 2020 . en.
  18. News: Gallagher . Aoife . UCD professor asked to resign from EU committee over Covid-19 claims . 11 September 2021 . The Irish Times . 13 June 2020 . en.
  19. News: McGreevy . Ronan . UCD academic Dolores Cahill resigns as chair of Irish Freedom Party . 11 September 2021 . The Irish Times . TheIrishTimes.com . 22 March 2021 . en.
  20. News: Jarry . Johnathon . The Strange Case of Dr. Cahill and Ms. Hyde . 11 September 2021 . Office for Science and Society . McGill.ca . 13 August 2021 . en.
  21. Web site: Harpin . Lee . Anti-mask nurse defended Nazi references saying: 'I don't care if they find it offensive' . www.thejc.com . The Jewish Chronicle . 11 September 2021.
  22. Web site: Jarry. Johnathon. The Psychiatrist Who Calmly Denies Reality. 11 September 2021. McGill University . en.
  23. Aoife Gallagher, Mackenzie Hart and Ciarán O’Connor. (2021). Ill Advice: A Case Study in Facebook’s Failure to Tackle COVID-19 Disinformation. ISD Global. ISDGlobal.org. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ill-Advice_v3.pdf
  24. Web site: Durden. Tyler. 27 September 2020. German Professor Arrested After Speaking At "We Do Not Consent" Rally In London . 11 September 2021. Invesbrain.
  25. News: Kitching . Chris . Brit who thinks coronavirus is 'hoax' sparks row for not wearing mask on plane . 11 September 2021 . The Mirror . Mirror.co.uk . 18 October 2020 . en.
  26. Web site: Heinrich Fiechtner . Wikipedia . 11 September 2021 . de . 6 August 2021.
  27. News: Schmid. Mirko. 17 February 2021. AfD: Trump-Fan und Verschwörungstheoretiker Fiechtner will zurück in die Partei . de. Frankfurer Rundschau .
  28. Aoife Gallagher, Mackenzie Hart and Ciarán O’Connor. (2021). Ill Advice: A Case Study in Facebook’s Failure to Tackle COVID-19 Disinformation. ISD Global. ISDGlobal.org. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ill-Advice_v3.pdf
  29. Web site: Baird . Caryn . Lie of the Year: Coronavirus downplay and denial . PolitiFact . 17 March 2021.
  30. Web site: Gambardello . Joseph A. . Doctors in Video Falsely Equate COVID-19 With a 'Normal Flu Virus' . FactCheck.org . Fact Check . 11 September 2021 . 21 October 2020.
  31. Aoife Gallagher, Mackenzie Hart and Ciarán O’Connor. (2021). Ill Advice: A Case Study in Facebook’s Failure to Tackle COVID-19 Disinformation. ISD Global. ISDGlobal.org. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ill-Advice_v3.pdf
  32. News: Jonasson . Thomas . Prickas gång på gång – ändå kan läkaren fortsätta att arbeta . 11 September 2021 . . www.svt.se . 4 October 2015 . sv.
  33. Aoife Gallagher, Mackenzie Hart and Ciarán O’Connor. (2021). Ill Advice: A Case Study in Facebook’s Failure to Tackle COVID-19 Disinformation. ISD Global. ISDGlobal.org. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Ill-Advice_v3.pdf
  34. https://factcheck.vlaanderen/factcheck/mondmaskers-veroorzaken-geen-hypercapnie Nee, mondmaskers veroorzaken geen hypercapnie
  35. Web site: McDonald . Jessica . Video Makes Bogus Claims About 'War Crimes' and COVID-19 Vaccine Safety . . 20 August 2021 . 12 February 2021.
  36. Web site: Norton . Tim . Trafalgar Square "Freedom Rally" speech littered with false claims . FullFact.org . 19 August 2021 . 20 August 2021.
  37. News: GP who claimed Covid-19 is a hoax has his licence suspended . 11 September 2021 . . https://www.brusselstimes.com/ . 27 January 2021 . en.

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