A healthcare worker holds a COVID-19 vaccine syringe. Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images
Dr. Rashid Buttar has been named by the Center for Countering Digital Hate as one of its "Disinformation Dozen".
CCD claims that almost two-thirds (or more) of COVID-19 disinformation is attributed to the 12 anti-vaxxers.
When asked by CNN if his claims could lead to death, Buttar, a licensed doctor, said: "If you're wrong, so be it."
During a CNN interview on Tuesday, a physician promoting conspiracies theories as well as unsubstantiated medical claims regarding COVID-19 stated, "If you're wrong, so be it."
According to a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate in 2021, Dr. Rashid Buttar is part of the "Disinformation Dozen," an anti-vaxxer group responsible for nearly two-thirds COVID-19 misinformation. He made a number of unfounded claims regarding COVID-19 vaccines during a CNN interview.
Buttar, who is licensed in North Carolina to practice, falsely claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine had killed more people than COVID-19, and was a tool for mass genocide. To urge people to not get vaccinated, he has been using Twitter, Telegram and his website.
Griffin stated to Buttar, who had at one time 1.2 million followers and was suspended for spreading disinformation, that he had "outsized influence" over people regarding medical advice. Buttar also agreed.
Buttar stated that he was confident in his ability "to look at the data". Buttar did not say which data he was referring to.
Buttar stated, "If I'm mistaken, so be it. Because I have to look in the mirror every night before I go to sleep and every morning after I wake up, and I don’t lose any sleep."
Numerous studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccinations are highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization, or death.
Epi-Phare, a French-backed scientific organization, released last week a study that looked at 23 million people and found that vaccines are over 90% effective in reducing severe illnesses in those 50 years old or older.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that COVID-19-related deaths have exceeded 726,000 in the US.
Recent deaths include the vast majority of those who were not vaccinated. The CDC discovered that people who were not vaccinated were 11 times more likely than those who had their shots in September to succumb to COVID-19.
Two leading non-profits, The Kaiser Family Foundation & the Peterson Center on Healthcare, discovered that vaccines could have prevented up to 90,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the US between June & September.
Insider was not able to reach Buttar, North Carolina Medical Board, Twitter or Telegram at the time this article was published.
Business Insider has the original article.
