Isabel Lucas, Taj Burrow, Pete Evans among anti-vax celebs under fire as coronavirus spreads

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Isabel Lucas, Taj Burrow, Pete Evans among
anti-vax celebs under fire as coronavirus
spreads
David Mills and Nadia SalemmeNews Corp Australia Network
Tuesday, 14 April 2020 10:48AM

Isabel Lucas and Taj Burrow have been criticised for spruiking anti-vaccination messages
during the COVID-19 pandemic after Pete Evans made headlines for claims that a $15,000
light could cure the virus.

In response to an Instagram post by controversial TV chef Pete Evans about the search for a
COVID-19 vaccine, Lucas said she “didn’t trust the path of vaccination” while Burrow
claimed vaccines were “not needed”.

Australian Medical Association federal councillor Dr Antonio Di Dio criticised the pair,
saying “individuals who have a voice such as celebrities have a responsibility to use that
voice appropriately at all times, but especially at a time like this”.

But Dr Di Dio also said there was a difference between what they were doing and what Mr
Evans had been doing in selling a $15,000 light “Bio Charger” that he claimed could help the
body fight coronavirus.

“(Ms Lucas and Mr Burrow are) not claiming to be something that they are not; they’re not
claiming to be scientists or doctors or researchers or professors of medicine,” Dr Di Dio said.
“What Pete Evans is doing is claiming that he has a product that works to cure coronavirus
and that is a whole different level of responsibility, and carries with it a whole different
burden of what he needs to prove.”

Isabel Lucas and Taj
Burrow posting on Pete Evans' Instagram. Credit: Supplied, Supplied/Pete Evans

Lucas and Burrow made their comments under a recent Instagram post by Evans in which the
My Kitchen Rules host posed a series of questions about the search for a COVID-19 vaccine.

“Freedom of choice is every humans right. I don’t trust the path of vaccination,” Lucas wrote
in response.

Burrow added: “Vaccines not needed, just a good immune system”.

Dr Di Dio expressed frustration over the persistence of anti-vaxxers, saying “they are wedded
to a theory and absolutely no amount of evidence will change them”.

“The anti-vaxxers are like your father-in-law who thinks you’re a failure no matter if you
become Prime Minister, because he’s wedded to that idea,” the Canberra-based GP said.

“But they only represent a very vocal minority of the population. The majority of the
population are people who can be swayed by evidence,” he said.

Last week, Evans made headlines for claims that a $15,000 light “Bio Charger” he sold via
his website could cure COVID-19.

“It’s programmed with about 1000 different recipes, there’s one in there for the Wuhan
coronavirus,” Evans said.

The BioCharger NG device is billed as a “hybrid subtle energy revitalisation platform” that
can “stimulate and invigorate the entire body to optimise and improve potential health,
wellness, and athletic performance”.

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration said it was investigating the product.

OTHER STARS SLAMMED
Lucas and Burrow’s comments came as a string of other celebrities and social media stars
were blasted for misinformed or insensitive comments about the coronavirus outbreak.

Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr was slammed for promoting the advice of a
controversial “medical medium” to her 12 million Instagram followers.

Kerr pushed the “dangerous’’ and “irresponsible’’ advice of Anthony William – who has said
his advice comes from “communication with gods’’ and that celery juice is a healing tonic.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners criticised Kerr for spruiking
Williams’s Virus Protection guide, calling it irresponsible.

KFC heiress Kaila Methven was also criticised for spruiking an unfounded “potential
COVID-19 remedy”.

Writing to her 1.6 million Instagram followers, Methven suggested “Nigella sativa” – a
herbal, fennel flower remedy – was being used by “a large network of friends in Paris who
have reported using Nigella sativa to great success to combat the symptoms of COVID-19”.

“I am not a doctor, but I am doing my best to get Nigella sativa in front of the FDA for
testing as it could save 1000s of lives and prevent the overcrowding of our hospitals.

“I believe we must exhaust all avenues, and Nigella sativa is a remedy being used to great
success to curb the virus but is not widely known outside of the Arabic community,” she
wrote in a lengthy caption on Instagram.

“I feel it is my duty to bring awareness to this potential remedy to the wider community. I
want to help save everyone — this could change the lives of millions of people!”

INSENSITIVE POSTS
In another disturbing Instagram trend, influencers were dragged over insensitive posts during
the pandemic.

Iraqi makeup influencer Fatima Aldewan – who has 80,000 Instagram followers – was
branded “disrespectful” for posting a coronavirus-inspired beauty tutorial on Instagram.

A string of Insta models raised eyebrows when they posed in DIY bikinis made of facial
masks and other PPE medical supplies.

                            Oanh (from Vietnam) makes a bikini out of face
masks. Credit: Instagram