Omnicare / CVS pharmacists distributed 140 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to residents, staff, and a few caregivers at the one-day clinic in the Watermark retirement community in Bellingham.
Pete Bannan | MediaNews Group | Getty Images
The United States has identified three online publications run by Russia’s intelligence services that are said to be trying to undermine the Covid-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, a State Department spokeswoman said Sunday.
The outlets “spread many types of misinformation, including the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as international organizations, military conflicts, protests and any divisive issues that could explode,” the spokeswoman said.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) first reported on the identification of the alleged campaign on Sunday. A Kremlin spokesman denied that the United States claimed that Russia was disseminating false information about vaccines to the WSJ.
The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia approved its vaccine against Sputnik V in August, before it began a large-scale trial, saying it was the first country to do so by a shot against Covid-19. Trials reviewed for a couple of months later showed that it was almost 92% effective in fighting the virus.
New York-based Pfizer and German BioNTech produced the first vaccine authorized in the United States, which regulators approved in December. The second, made by Moderna, based in Massachusetts, was authorized later this month.
The State Department’s Global Engagement Center, set up to counter propaganda and misinformation campaigns, identified the three outlets, the spokeswoman said.
News Front is controlled by Russia’s federal security service, the center found. New Eastern Outlook and Oriental Review are directed and controlled by the Russian foreign intelligence service.
A fourth exit, Rebel Inside, controlled by the Russian army, was also named by the center, but is largely dormant, the spokeswoman said.
“The Department will continue to expose Russia’s disastrous online activities,” he added. “We will also continue to work closely with our allies and partners to provide a comprehensive response to the fight against misinformation.”