The Infodemic

Almost from the start of the pandemic, misinformation about COVID-19 spread on social media and continues to this day. It includes wild tales and distortions about the vaccine, claims that leading health experts “invented” the virus for profit, that 5G technology is causing COVID-19, and even that the entire pandemic was a hoax. 

It’s easy to dismiss some of the nuttier theories, but millions of people have seen or heard them. Many believe them. And some of them are still being spread by commentators, politicians, and even candidates for president.

This COVID “infodemic” sowed distrust of reputable health experts and basic scientific facts, which significantly undermined the ability of public health policies and interventions to mitigate the pandemic’s impact, leading many to reject masking, social distancing, and lockdowns, worsening the spread of the virus. It will make fighting the next pandemic even harder.

It has also led to widespread vaccine hesitancy, so much so that today only about 70% of the U.S. population is vaccinated against COVID, while in many countries, like Portugal where I live, the vaccination rate is above 90%.

The COVID infodemic makes all of us less safe. It’s as important to fight the misinformation as it is to fight the virus itself. Below are some resources to help set the record straight next time you’re confronted with a friend or relative who maintains “alternative facts” about the disease.

Covid will still be here this summer. Will anyone care?

Four years after COVID, misinformation still endangers some Americans' health. Here's why. 

Four Years After Shelter-in-Place, Covid-19 Misinformation Persists

PolitiFact – The Poynter Institute – on Coronavirus

COVID-19 Misconceptions

How Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Distorted Vaccine Science

Joe Rogan’s Covid Claims: What Does the Science Actually Say?

Let’s Flatten the Infodemic Curve

Who Could Catch Bird Flu First? These Experts Have an Idea, and a Way to Help.