Exclusive | The linking of Covid-19 vaccines with infertility was almost inevitable

Conspiracy theory claims of female sterilisation and “population control” have long dogged vaccination drives through history

But how did this connection originate? https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-conspiracy-theories-how-vaccine-infertility-rumours-spread-to-the-young-rlql2b83g?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=VaxT&utm_medium=branded_social&utm_term=VaxT&utm_content=VaxT">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c...

April 2020 https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📅" title="Kalender" aria-label="Emoji: Kalender">

A YouTuber going by the name of Zed Phoenix starts publishing videos on his channel claiming that Bill and Melinda Gates had taken over the UK’s vaccine programme, with Chris Whitty having personally received £31 million from the foundation

Phoenix’s real name is Ben Fellows. A 46-year-old from Solihull and a former child actor who in 2012 falsely accused Ken Clarke MP of having molested him 18 years earlier

Fellows was described in court as "an inventive and sometimes persuasive fantasist"

His video is watched between 8,000 and 100,000 times and shared on platforms such as Facebook by friends - typical in the early stages of any conspiracy theory.

The majority of those watching are already part of the anti-vax community

Estimated UK reach: Over 100,000 https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">

May 2020 https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📅" title="Kalender" aria-label="Emoji: Kalender">

Fellows’ wild claims were picked up by the American alt-right. David Knight, a former reporter for conspiracy site InfoWars, broadcasts one of Fellows’ videos on his TV programme

Fellows then fabricates a claim that he is in contact with a “whistleblower” from GlaxoSmithKline, who says the vaccine contains antigens that cause sterility in women

He then alleges 63 women have been tested a “this concoction of chemicals” leaving 61 of them infertile

Knight tweets the video of this to his 130,000 followers, along with the claim that covid vaccines caused sterility in 97% of women, presenting it as a factual ‘investigation’

Estimated UK reach: around 1 million https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">

From here the infertility hoax becomes a mainstay within conspiracy theory communities. The conspiracy spreads to fringe groups across the world and is promoted in both anti-vax circles and by groups such as QAnon and figures like David Icke

Estimated UK reach: 5 million https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">

December 2020 https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📅" title="Kalender" aria-label="Emoji: Kalender">

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❗️" title="Rotes Ausrufezeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Ausrufezeichen">A pivotal moment in the growth of the conspiracy theory comes when Michael Yeadon, a former Pfizer executive, and Dr Wolfgang Wodarg send a petition to the European Medicines Agency, calling for all covid vaccine clinical trials to be halted

The veneer of credibility brought by Yeadon’s previous work with Pfizer means the petition draws huge attention https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧑‍🔬" title="Wissenschaftler(in)" aria-label="Emoji: Wissenschaftler(in)">

Individuals not normally exposed to conspiracies see it for the first time, with some believing it and going on to spread it themselves

David Kurten, a member of the London Assembly; Del Bigtree, an American TV producer and Paris Petgrave, a tech company owner, all begin to promote it

The effect is devastating. Within weeks, doctors and nurses report women asking them whether fertility concerns are true

Finally, the conspiracy theory itself loses its initial connection with Bill Gates as it moves into the mainstream, making it more palatable for a wider audience

Estimated UK reach: 25 million https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📈" title="Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend" aria-label="Emoji: Tabelle mit Aufwärtstrend"> https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-conspiracy-theories-how-vaccine-infertility-rumours-spread-to-the-young-rlql2b83g?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=VaxT&utm_medium=branded_social&utm_term=VaxT&utm_content=VaxT">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c...