Facebook Inc has taken down a video by US President Donald Trump in which he said children are “almost immune” to COVID-19, with the company saying it violated its rules against sharing misinformation about the coronavirus.
“This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19, which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation,” a Facebook spokesman said.
The video posted included an interview Trump did on Wednesday with Fox News in which he said children are “virtually immune” to getting the COVID-19 coronavirus.
“They don’t have a problem, they just don’t have a problem,” Trump added, as part of an argument for why schools should reopen. “It doesn’t have an impact on them. I’ve watched some doctors say they’re totally immune.”
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The spokesman said it was the first time that the social media company had removed a Trump post for coronavirus misinformation.
Facebook for months has said it will prioritise removing COVID-19 misinformation that could cause people harm. “This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation,” spokesman Andy Stone said in a statement.
“Children and adolescents are just as likely to become infected as any other age group and can spread the disease,” according to the World Health Organisation website. The CDC says that while children don’t appear to be at higher risk for COVID-19 than adults, there are some children who have contracted the virus, and recommends they follow the same social distancing guidelines as adults.
AP
