Misunderstanding of studies leads to misinformation: Dr. Christopher Labos

A recent COVID-19 study has been misinterpreted and shared widely by opponents of vaccines who falsely claim the study shows additional doses of the vaccine increases the chance of contracting the illness.

Despite the study saying a bivalent vaccine booster reduced infections by 30 per cent, some have claimed the study reveals the same booster would make infection more likely. The study focused on health care workers who are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 due to exposure to potentially infected patients, and could not be applied to the general public.

For Dr. Christopher Labos, cardiologist and medical journalist, the false claims come from a fundamental misunderstanding of the way studies are reviewed and published. In this particular case, the findings came from a preprint – a scientific manuscript published online without external peer review – and the data therein was further misinterpreted.

“It is difficult because this is a very subtle and complicated argument,” said Labos, referring to why the studies conclusions were wrong on The Sam Laprade Show. “When you start to try to explain to people why this doesn't work, and you get into questions about it having to do with multi-dimensional integral calculus, all of a sudden you've lost your audience.”

The issue is then exacerbated by social media and people with large followings parroting the false information. The study was cited by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, giving the study a semblance of accuracy.

“Then when you get into prominent politicians and people like that, it's a much harder thing to just dismiss,” said Labos. “Because the explanations are so complicated and can not often be contained within a single tweet.”

Fear and distrust of the institutions designed to keep people safe is another root cause of vaccine misinformation proliferating, said Labos. A general skepticism, “confusing messages from the scientific establishment and an imperfect public health response,” have eroded the public's trust.

The study has since been taken down due to errors in the study – the very reason for the peer review process.

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Christopher Labos on The Sam Laprade Show below.