Instagram Blocks #naturalimmunity Hashtag

Instagram has blocked the hashtag "natural immunity" over concerns of misinformation, reports the MetroUK.

However, Facebook, the owner of Instagram, has not removed the hashtag.

Before the ban,  uses of #naturalimmunity coincided with notions relating to a scientific study conducted out of Israel. The paper concludes that "natural immunity confers longer-lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccine-induced immunity."

But the study also highlights, "individuals who were both previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 and given a single dose of the vaccine gained additional protection against the Delta variant."

Managing director of social media agency Source PR, Louis Hill told Metro it was "counter intuitive to ban certain [hashtags] as it only provides further ammunition for the conspiracy theorists." 

"Other than harmful, violent or hateful commentary, [banning hashtags is] damaging to our freedom of speech traditions and a very dangerous place if social media platforms start censoring views, conversations or opinions," he added.

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