PM Jacinda Ardern chats with Raiha Tahuri about her covid vaccine, in Hawke's Bay, where a gang member did not test positive for Covid 19 last week. Photo / Warren Buckland
PM Jacinda Ardern chats with Raiha Tahuri about her covid vaccine, in Hawke's Bay, where a gang member did not test positive for Covid 19 last week. Photo / Warren Buckland
A gang member in Hawke's Bay does not have Covid-19.
Or tattoos that Labour paid $150,000 to have removed.
Not last week, anyway.
And sorry, this week it's still what National leader Judith Collins might call a big fat 'no'.
Given the widespread circulation of these rumours or fake news,and the nervous climate that prevails under Covid-19, we figure they were worth debunking.
The freshest rumour involves the local gang member having Covid - it got stronger as last week's Northland case was reported.
The tattoo rumour has been around a few weeks after someone wrote a fake story saying Labour has approved $150,000 so that gang members taking part in a meth rehab programme can have their tattoos removed.
Last week, I got a call from a colleague, saying someone from outside of Hawke's Bay was asking about our Covid case.
Another colleague asked the same question - had we heard about it?
We had indeed, and had checked with the District Health Board early last week.
It advised that there were no active Covid cases in the region.
We checked again later in the week - same response. No active cases.
Former All Black Rene Ranger gets his Covid test in Northland, where someone did have Covid 19 last week. Photo / NZME
The rumour came at a time when Hawke's Bay was confronting the real risk that, given Delta is in communities beyond Auckland, it's a matter of 'when', not 'if' it arrives in Hawke's Bay.
Which surely provides the incentive to find the 'by Māori, for Māori' solution that many are now calling for, to lift vaccination rates.
And surely it is an incentive for anyone who just hasn't got around to getting vaccinated to do so.
The fact remains that the more people that are vaccinated, the more resilient our communities are.
And the more likely we can modify levels 4 and 3 to reduce the damage to our economy and individual and collective psyche.
On page 12 of the 60-page plus HDBDHB Covid-19 Resurgence Plan (Version 3.0 as of September 17) is a reference to Resurgence Planning Assumptions.
Under the heading, among multiple observations, is this:
"Social media will create misinformation and potential 'panic' that may in particular limit vaccination rates."
The amount of absolute rubbish on Facebook about vaccinations is ridiculous.
Some of it starts with truth - there is a Covid pill, but it doesn't replace the vaccine, it aids recovery.
So far, the dull thwack of people becoming magnetised to power poles is yet to be heard, and based on the brick I dropped on my foot on Sunday it doesn't turn your blood black.
Someone with more time on their hands than most of us right now wrote the fake news story last month that quoted a tattoo removal service, and included false quotes and information.
A Hawke's Bay graphic copied off our website was attached to the story in a Word document, to try and give it authenticity.
They emailed it to someone, who emailed it to someone etc.
A handful of people had the nous to contact Hawke's Bay Today and ask if the news was real. We assured them that it wasn't.
'Fake news', as Donald Trump loved to parrot when he was president.
