Health Ministry rebukes Elon Musk for ‘fake news’ about COVID-19

The Health Ministry rebukes Twitter chief Elon Musk for fake news about COVID-19.

Musk tweets “zero…” in response to an article saying Israeli data found that “zero young healthy individuals died of COVID-19,”

The Health Ministry responds with an English statement.

“Elon, unfortunately this is not what the whole data shows. Fake news is dangerous,” the Health Ministry says. “Israel Ministry of Health was asked on chronic disease data and explained that we don’t have access to clinical records.”

“We provided the limited data available if something was shared during epidemiological investigation — this data was available for only 27 people –7.5% of the 356 young people who died of COVID In Israel.”

“We know from clinicians that young healthy people did die from COVID and hopefully data on that will be available on the near future from our HMOs.”

Elon, unfortunately this is not what the whole data shows.

fake news is dangerous.

Israel Ministry of Health was asked on chronic disease data and explained that we don’t have access to clinical records >>>

— משרד הבריאות (@IsraelMOH) May 29, 2023

The exchange is the latest in several between Musk and Israel’s government on Twitter.

Earlier this month, the Foreign Ministry accused Musk of stoking antisemitism after he compared George Soros to a comic book villain.

Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli then came to Musk’s defense, saying Israelis saw him as a role model.

Late last year, Musk complimented Israel’s Twitter prowess, after the country’s official channel responded to a Kanye West post with a Taylor Swift joke.