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People wearing masks cross a street in Seoul on September 11, 2020. South Korea’s initial success in containing the pandemic was thwarted by a mid-August demonstration that sparked another massive outbreak in the country. AFP via The Straits Times / Asia News Network
SINGAPORE – When they caught the Covid-19 virus in the remote interior of Indonesia, patients urged hospital authorities and nurses to come alone in the middle of the night to take them into isolation.
Such is the misinformation and stigma associated with the Covid-19 disease that those infected worry that their relatives and relatives will suffer endlessly if neighbors find out about their ailment.
In South Korea, officials in charge of quelling Covid-19 had a heartbreaking time earlier this month, as data showed that around 650 church members and 7,700 protesters had defied orders to take screening. of coronavirus infections and more than 300 congregations violated the bans in person. meetings.
Many were simply not convinced that the rules and regulations established by the government to contain the pandemic were necessary and would protect them from contracting the infection.
South Korea’s initial success in containing the pandemic was thwarted by a mid-August rally that led to another massive outbreak in the country, though that too has now been largely controlled.
Elsewhere, officials charged with containing the pandemic are dying over the growing movements against vaccines and masks in several countries. They question the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines and support conspiracy theories. On September 19, 32 were arrested in London after heated clashes between police and protesters.
These and several other cases that point to the proliferation of misinformation and misinformation surrounding the coronavirus and measures to contain the pandemic have raised alarm levels.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations once again warned against the coronavirus “infodemic” last week in a joint statement and urged member states to develop and implement action plans to counter its spread.
The WHO said that without the proper confidence and correct information, diagnostic tests will not be used, immunization campaigns or campaigns to promote effective vaccines will fall short, and the virus will continue to thrive. “The technology we rely on to keep us connected and informed enables and amplifies an infodemic that continues to undermine the global response and jeopardize measures to control the pandemic,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the main health agency warned that the death toll could reach two million before a vaccine is available.
Misinformation is a common problem during public health crises, research from The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene shows. It was rampant during the recent Ebola outbreak and during the 2002-2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome.
While there are several consequences of the rumors, misinformation, and conspiracy theories circulating in such situations, the report notes that misinformation suggesting that “drinking highly concentrated alcohol could disinfect the body and kill the virus” caused 800 people died, 5,876 to be hospitalized and 60 left completely blind after drinking methanol.
“Rumors, stigma and conspiracy theories have the potential to diminish community trust in governments,” the authors note.
“Dealing with rumors, dispelling misinformation and conspiracy theories, and mitigating fear and stigma directed at affected people and places are essential to preparing for and controlling a pandemic.”
Much is being done nationally and globally to contain the spread of the infodemic.
The UN launched a formal UN Communications Response initiative to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation in April that sets guidelines for governments and international health agencies to counter misinformation.
Last week, the European Parliament established a special committee to examine the misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the virus, although its mandate also goes beyond the pandemic.
The European Union will work with leading technology platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to counter the infodemic. And governments are stepping up fact-checking measures.
But India, at the UN last week, warned that terrorists are spreading misinformation to exploit the financial and emotional distress caused by the lockdowns to lure the vulnerable into their fold.
Among those they target to harm are healthcare workers.
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