'I'm pro vaccines in general, but...': Elon Musk's tweet sparks debate, users shut him down

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, in a recent tweet, said that while he is generally in favour of vaccines, there may be cases where the cure or vaccine is worse for the population than the disease itself.

He was responding to an investor in a Twitter thread where Musk was asked: “Fully understand your anti-lockdown position, but to what extent are you anti-vaccine? Mandate? Covid Vax in general?”

Musk, 51,  replied: “I’m pro vaccines in general, but there’s a point where the cure/vaccine is potentially worse, if administered to the whole population, than the disease.”

I’m pro vaccines in general, but there’s a point where the cure/vaccine is potentially worse, if administered to the whole population, than the disease

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 16, 2023

Musk did not provide any specific examples or evidence to back up his claim, and it is unclear what he meant by "worse" in this context. However, his comments sparked a debate among public health experts and social media users, with some criticizing Musk for spreading misinformation and others defending his right to express his opinion.

Many experts pointed out that vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective in preventing the spread of diseases, and that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh any potential risks. They also emphasized that vaccines go through rigorous testing and clinical trials before they are approved for public use.

“Elon… why not sit this one out, k? Haven’t you done enough harm with your Covid misinformation? With the fauci attacks? With Platforming ugly dudes like Berenson? You don’t know what you’re talking about and it shows. PS- why haven’t you stepped aside? Were you lying?” one doctor tweeted with a jibe at him about stepping down as Twitter CEO.

“Like Polio? That cure was worse? Measles? Pneumonia? Cervical cancer? You are ignorant of basic science, and you use your platform to encourage ideas disproven with the simplest research,” wrote screenwriter Amy Holden Jones.

...and that's why people are still dying from the Spanish flu pandemic. No, wait. That was over in 2 years.

— Alexandros Marinos (@alexandrosM) January 17, 2023

There were many supporters too, mostly anti-vaxxers who joined the crusade talking about how the vaccines made them sick, or they still got Covid after the vaccine, etc and these comments too were countered by medical health experts and others who understand the importance of vaccination.