“It’s full of science-y sorts of terms that are jumbled together
to sound impressive but aren’t supported,” said Gigi Kwik
Gronvall, an immunologist at Johns Hopkins University who was among
several authors of a rebuttal to Dr. Yan’s report.

Other misinformation about the pandemic has also emphasized supposed
expertise. In the spring, a 26-minute video that went viral featured
a discredited American scientist accusing hospitals of inflating
virus-related deaths. A July video showed people in white coats,
calling themselves “America’s doctors” and suggesting that masks
were ineffective; the video was removed by social media platforms
for sharing false information.