The Times of London has reported that a Russian disinformation campaign is spreading fears regarding a vaccine for coronavirus being developed by a team from the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca, portraying the vaccine as dangerous using pictures and video clips.
One of the allegations being made is that because the vaccine uses a virus that hits chimpanzees as a vector, it could "turn people into monkeys."
The Times adds that the campaign is targeting countries where Russia would like to sell one of its own Covid-19 vaccines, named Sputnik V.
Approached for comment, the chief executive of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, said: “Misinformation is a clear risk to public health. I urge everyone to use reliable sources of information, to trust regulatory agencies and to remember the enormous benefit vaccines and medicines continue to bring to humanity.”