By Ethan Covey
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) announced that physicians and other health care professionals who spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines are at risk for disciplinary action, including the suspension or revocation of their medical licenses.
The statement amounts to one of the hardest lines yet taken by organizations looking to quell the dissemination of inaccurate information about the safety and efficacy of existing COVID-19 vaccines.
“Due to their specialized knowledge and training, licensed physicians possess a high degree of public trust and therefore have a powerful platform in society, whether they recognize it or not,” the FSMB Board of Directors wrote in a statement.
“They also have an ethical and professional responsibility to practice medicine in the best interests of their patients and must share information that is factual, scientifically grounded and consensus-driven for the betterment of public health.”
Misinformation and disinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines have been spreading widely on social media platforms, websites, and in national and regional media. As of March 1, Twitter has removed more than 8,400 tweets and challenged 11.5 million accounts worldwide for violating its policies regarding sharing information about COVID-19, and other social media networks have stepped up efforts to prevent further spread of vaccine-related falsehoods.
The FSMB, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization that represents medical boards that license physicians and other health care professionals in the United States and its territories by promoting excellence in medical practice.
“Spreading inaccurate COVID-19 vaccine information contradicts that responsibility, threatens to further erode public trust in the medical profession and puts all patients at risk,” the FSMB Board of Directors wrote.
