Scientists Warned About COVID-19 Face Murder and Assault [Reading Science]

Scientists exposed in the mass media. Photo by Nature.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Globally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sharp increase in attacks against health and medical experts exposed in the media, both online and in real life, by anonymous members of the public.

On the 5th, the science journal Science reported that a survey conducted on 510 scientists who had recently published COVID-19 related papers found that 38% of them had experienced at least one instance of verbal abuse or death threats. The means of threats varied, including social media, email or phone calls, and face-to-face encounters. By type (multiple responses allowed), personal insults were the most common with 118 cases, followed by attacks on professional competence with 95, allegations of fraud or corruption with 74, excessive contact from many people with 72, and 32 reported hearing wishes for their death or injury. There were also 14 cases of death threats or physical violence threats, and 10 cases of protests in front of their homes or workplaces. However, responses to these incidents were weak. Only 7% of the affected scientists said they received legal assistance from their affiliated research institutions or schools. Very few received technical support (8%), security guarantees (5%), or mental health counseling (6%).

In fact, Dr. Marion Koopman, a virologist working at Erasmus University Medical Center in Germany, faced difficulties last year when she visited a museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands with her family and was recognized as a COVID-19 expert by an angry crowd. Dr. Koopman said, "The crowd was shouting and banging, so the security guards locked the doors." Since 2020, she has continuously received numerous threats, including death threats, from people claiming "the pandemic is a hoax," "the COVID-19 virus was artificially created," and "the COVID-19 vaccine is dangerous." Nowadays, she does not appear in public without police escort. She appealed, "I can no longer go out alone on the streets," adding, "My family also feels uncomfortable walking with me, and they worry about traveling." There are many other cases. Chris Whitty, the UK government's chief medical advisor, was threatened by two men in a London park. Disease ecologist Peter Daszak received an envelope containing white powder resembling anthrax. A Belgian virologist moved to a new residence for his family's safety after receiving threatening letters from a former soldier.

In this regard, the Geneva-based nonprofit organization Insecurity Insight recently reported 517 cases of physical violence related to COVID-19. Ten healthcare workers were killed, and there were 24 kidnappings and 89 injuries. The American Journal of Public Health published a study earlier this month showing that 57% of local health authorities in the United States experienced harassment incidents, leading to 80 officials resigning.

Especially, many suffered harm after appearing in media such as newspapers and broadcasts to discuss COVID-19. The international academic journal Nature published research last October based on a survey of 321 scientists who commented on COVID-19 in the mass media, revealing that 15% had received death threats and the majority felt serious personal safety threats. Eighty-one percent of respondents experienced personal attacks or harassment, and 70% reported at least one instance of physical threats or emotional stress and other negative impacts.

Regarding this, Professor Kevin McConway of the Open University in the UK expressed concern, saying, "(Violence against scientists exposed to the public) may discourage scientists from disclosing their research results, which may not be beneficial to science and the public interest."