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- President Joe Biden said that platforms like Facebook are "killing people" by spreading vaccine misinformation.
- "The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they're killing people" he said.
- Facebook did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
President Joe Biden said on Friday that platforms like Facebook were "killing people" as COVID-19 vaccine misinformation spreads on the platform and infections rise in several parts of the US.
"What is your message to platforms like Facebook?" NBC's Peter Alexander asked as the President departed the White House for Camp David.
"They're killing people," Biden said. "The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they're killing people."
-The Real Facebook Oversight Board (@FBoversight) July 16, 2021
Biden's words echoed a phrase used earlier on Friday when Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said COVID-19 is becoming a "pandemic of the unvaccinated."
"We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk," Dr. Walensky said.
She added that 97% of hospitalized COVID-19 cases are in people who are not vaccinated against the virus.
The message to Facebook comes a day after US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a statement saying that "American lives are at risk" due to anti-vaccine misinformation on social media.
"Health misinformation is a serious threat to public health," Murthy said. "It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, harm people's health, and undermine public health efforts. Limiting the spread of health misinformation is a moral and civic imperative."
New infections and deaths have been on the rise in recent weeks, especially in counties with low rates of vaccination.
A Facebook spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the company has partnered with government experts, health authorities, and researchers to take "aggressive action against misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines to protect public health."
Facebook did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
This is a developing story...
