Surgeon general calls COVID-19 misinformation an "urgent threat"

The Delta variant is fueling a rapid increase in new COVID-19 infections nationwide. For the first time in months, the U.S. is once again reporting more than 1,000 new cases every hour. This comes as the number of people getting vaccinated is plummeting.

In his first advisory, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a stark warning Thursday in an effort to fight misinformation that the COVID vaccine is dangerous. Murthy said the false information shared on social media is driving vaccine hesitancy, especially among young people, who are increasingly hospitalized because of the Delta variant, particularly in the South. "Health misinformation is a serious threat to public health," the advisory said. "We know enough to be sure that misinformation is an urgent threat, and that we can and must confront it together."