Top COVID-19 Misinformation
By: Samuel James
Tags: Misinformation, Sanitizers, Fake News, Covid 19, Staying Safe

Top COVID-19 Misinformation

Fighting Misinformation on COVID-19 While Keeping Safe

The year 2020 started like any other year until an outbreak that nobody on our planet has seen hit. Although COVID-19 has been around since 2019, It didn’t spread beyond China until 2020. The world changed rapidly to a different place — the world’s economy driven to a halt. The healthcare system stretched to the brink, and workers left alone to face the scourge of COVID-19 as stories of layoffs flooded LinkedIn pages every day. As of today, 686k people have died from COVID-19, with 17M confirmed cases in the world.

This unprecedented time saw all sorts of information flowing around on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, WhatsApp, etc. Twitter was reported to have removed over 170,000 tweets on fake news on its platform since the start of COVID-19 in its attempt to combat misinformation.

While several organizations have joined the fight to combat misinformation on COVID-19, it’s important that you know what misinformation is, why it’s dangerous, how to fight it while keeping safe.

Top COVID-19 MisInformation

According to Wikipedia, Misinformation is false or inaccurate information. Like COVID-19, misinformation is cancer that’s gradually eating up our society. You must protect yourself and join your efforts in combating false information in the world.

The following are the top COVID-19 misinformation you should know about.

It’s a Chinese Biological Weapon

It’s of no doubt that COVID-19 has awakened the fears of biological weapons. The threat of biological weapons is real. But COVID-19 is far from a popular conspiracy theory that the virus is a human-made biology virus originated from China. The science community has voiced out that there’s zero evidence that COVID-19 came from a lab. According to Angela, Rasmussen, a research scientist in the Centre for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University, COVID-19 has no genetic similarities with other virus backbones used in any known reverse genetics systems for betacoronaviruses which further bolstered the fact that COVID-19 was not engineered from a Lab.

5G phone networks caused it

In the first quarter of the year, a fraction of the social media users pointed at 5G as the cause of COVID-19. Like notorious Australia’s wildfire, the information spread. News and videos were shared that purportedly aimed to prove why 5G was the culprit. In some parts of the world, people protested. And in some parts, 5G masts were torched. But, is 5G to be blamed? The large body of scientific knowledge around 5G disbands the claim that 5G causes COVID-19. The FDA and FCC say there is nothing to worry about. As a matter of fact, Covid-19 spread from person-to-person contact.

It Has A Pre-Developed Vaccine

There have been reports of multiple posts on social media stating that COVID-19 was well known and had a vaccine pre-developed before it struck. At the time of writing this post, there were no vaccines available for COVID-19 in the market. Researchers worldwide are actively working to find a vaccine for COVID-19. According to experts, a fast-tracked development process for the COVID-19 vaccine could take from 12–18 months before it hits the market.

It Can Be Cured With Hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxychloroquine has been hyped by world leaders as a miraculous drug capable of curing COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is a derivative of chloroquine, a malaria drug that has been in around since the 1940s. The hype around the drug led to global supply shortage which further put patients who rely on the drug at risk. According to a WHO report, data shows that hydroxychloroquine does not result in the reduction of mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, when compared with the standard of care.

How to Fight COVID-19 Misinformation

The online community is rapidly changing from what it used to be a few years ago. The exposure to a large scale of information including misleading and false information deliberately targeted at people to prey on their emotions is a major challenge for everyone. Being able to identify misinformation is a responsibility of all — and a must have skill. Talking of COVID-19, there are few steps you can take to not fall victim of misinformation.

Fact-check all Info

Whether you’re reading or writing, you must get the facts right. A recent survey shows that 30 out of every 1,000 marketing-related articles may contain wrong information or unfounded claims. One way to fight COVID-19 misinformation is to check if a report is credible before you react. It’s essential to fact-check all information, and many websites help with that. The following websites allow you to fact-check information:

Get Information From Trusted Sources

When it comes to getting information about a particular subject, the first places you should turn to are the trusted platforms for the type of information you want. Many organizations, institutions, and individuals are working together to provide and share information that helps combat the virus. The following are some of the renowned sources for COVID-19 related information.

Think Before You Share

Information spread quickly online. When you share a post on social media, think of other people who might see your post. How would they react? False information can be created almost on any subject and can quickly go viral through sharing. Most articles are specially crafted so that it can be clicked on, at first sight, beware of such materials. Check the author, the outlet, the source, and the picture before you share.

How to Stay Safe

In these trying times, staying safe is the number one priority. The following practices can lower the risk of infection.

Maintain Social Distance

COVID-19 is transmitted from people to people who are in close contact through respiratory droplets, by direct contact with infected persons or by direct contact with contaminated objects or surfaces. Social distancing entails that you maintain physical space between yourself and other people. By reducing the number of people you come in contact with, you’ll further reduce the risk of getting infected and help protect people at higher risk. Ideally, you should avoid public places where it’s challenging to keep safe.

Regular Sanitization of Hands

Hands are the most likely part of the body to come in contact with contaminated surfaces. We touch objects, we shake, we eat, and we rub our faces with hands. Every day, we come in contact with millions of outside germs and viruses. The germs linger on our hands, and in most cases, we transfer them to our colleagues, our kids, and friends through our hands. One of the best ways to reduce the risk of infection is through regular cleaning of hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or washing them with soap and water. Constant sanitization of hands can be burdensome for kids, SanitizerWristbands.com developed a bracelet like watches that ensures that children keep safe.