Fake News During the Pandemic

The Coronavirus pandemic is one of the most devastating events to hit the modern era. Current statistics show millions of cases with hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States alone. Furthermore, the consequential lifestyle changes and inexperience of the situation have created an atmosphere of panic. Unfortunately, there are those who use this fear (intentionally or not) for their own benefit and at the expense of the truth. During the pandemic, the proportion of misinformed individuals has skyrocketed which directly exacerbated the crisis at hand. Media misinformation has thus become a miniature pandemic of its own, and, this“fake news” about the COVID-19 pandemic can be divided into two categories, misinformation about the severity or presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (which was especially common towards the beginning of the pandemic) and faulty claims of untested and potentially harmful cures. 

Alert but not Anxious? 

Over the course of the pandemic there have been varying levels of concern experienced by the public and healthcare officials. In the beginning, there was generally little fear because the data concerning mortality was shown to be very slight and proportionately more harmful to people in older age groups. In early March the pandemic had fluctuations in mortality from less than 1 percent to up to 7 percent per day. Comparing this to other diseases like SARS or MERS with much higher mortality rates, the disease was not much of a cause for concern. This led the population underestimating the virus and failing to prepare for the worst. As time passed and more testing kits became available, though, the data grew to be more precise. Now that deaths are seen in all age groups, with particular concentration into those of older age (with previous health conditions), a push to acquire as many resources as possible has begun. In a move similar to a scene from any apocalyptic movie, people began to hoard material such as hand sanitizers, toilet paper, masks, water, and nonperishable foods. 

Now that the scare has officially begun, any word of the status of the situation is taken seriously, regardless of the sourcing. Different news channels were referenced in Nic Flemin’s Nature article, which found that  “67% of those surveyed are watching more news coverage, half of that subset are spending significantly more time doing so.” Furthermore, the rise in the use of social media as a form of communication between people has and will continue to serve as a medium for status updates in the months to come. With very little to no protection against people making statements about facts that have not been proven yet, there is nothing to stop people from believing whatever they find on these platforms. 

A clear example of fake news during the pandemic is the Stanford Coronavirus Test. As described in the picture shown below, the test involved holding your breath for ten seconds. If you are able to do so without the need to cough or exhale then you were believed to not have the virus. However, this method is very inaccurate. Although the virus is respiratory in nature, there is no evidence showing that it will affect someone’s performance on that test. Furthermore, individuals can be asymptomatic and therefore have the virus while being able to pass the test, while elderly people and those with prior lung issues are susceptible to failing this test without contracting the virus at all. 

It is now known that this test was made up and not from Stanford university at all. This perfectly exemplifies how psychological concepts such as social proof and authority influence the way we accept information. In this case, the text was attributed to being signed by a Stanford scientist, which provided credibility (authority). In addition, since many people reposted the tweet and videos of performing the test, it became a socially accepted piece of information/trend--this further demonstrates how  simple it is to put something out into media and have it be believed. 

As previously mentioned, false information may take a different route by complicating the use of medications and treatments. For example, posts on Instagram and Twitter warned people to not take a prescribed albuterol inhaler because of the fear of it suppressing your immune system. However, there was no backing to these claims and this was easily disproved. These prescribed inhalers are not corticosteroids and therefore do not suppress the immune system (Juanita Mora, Asthma & COPD: COVID-19 Myth Busting with Dr. Juanita Mora). However, many people did not double-check the sourcing of such information and began insisting on not taking their medication for months, thus increasing the amount of asthmatic cases sent to hospitals that were already overrun with COVID-19 cases. Looking at this unfortunate outcome, it is clear why validating sources is necessary in these times. Instead of helping people, this misinformation only added more confusion and stress to the hospital system by increasing the demand of ventilators and other equipment vital for maintaining the survival of those with the new virus. 

However, there have been some cases of misinformation driven to benefit publicity and sales. The commonly used website “Infowars,” run by Alex Jones and Jim Bakker, was used to sell products such as a colloidal silver treatment, in which silver particles were aerosolized and inhaled to prevent contraction of the virus (Fleming, Coronavirus misinformation, and how scientists can help to fight it 2020). This treatment had no proven benefits and also may have been potentially harmful to the consumer. Other sources show individuals suggesting inhalation of essential oils and steam to kill the virus. Unfortunately, this fake remedy burned the linings of the respiratory system of all participants and sent them to the hospital. The profits of these products, alongside the revenue made from advertisement on their websites, was extraordinary. In just the short amount of time that the treatment was up for sale, Bakker alone made a $60,000 profit. What does this mean? It means that the pandemic is being treated like a business opportunity by those in positions of gain and that all products must be fact-checked before usage. 

In this era of fake news treatments, it also becomes confusing to distinguish between which products we should buy, if any. There are websites that contain articles (like that of Dr. Rancourt given below) stating that masks do not work against viruses in general because they are too small to be filtered out. These recommendations run contrary to the CDC’s guidelines and only serve to confuse the general public. In this case the misinformation is a matter of publicity rather than monetary benefit.

What should we do?

The general public must recognize that it is essential to follow the guidelines as stated by the CDC and WHO first and foremost because they are the most accurate and reliable sources. In terms of credibility and overall benefit, these two sources can not be beat. The CDC and WHO both have their own websites, the WHO also has a WhatsApp service (+41798931892) for updates. Furthermore, it is important that the population should be well versed in spotting misinformation. 

Nature advises us to watch for misinformation by looking for fake social media accounts, oversharing, and clear money incentives. Also, the use of fact checkers can provide means of limiting the amount of misinformation spread. 

Conclusion

We should all be very aware of misinformation spread, acknowledging the different ways it is transmitted, and learn how to detect it. It is absolutely imperative that we only accept advice from trusted sources and report misinformation to those that do not know how to recognize it. Moreover, we should use the media as an opportunity to teach and unify each other during times of crisis rather than create debates about the truth. This is arguably the most impactful event many of us have ever faced, and as such, it should be treated with due diligence. 

Works Cited

(1) Roser, M., Ritchie, H., Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Hasell, J. (2020, March 04). Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) - Statistics and Research. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus

(2) Fleming, N. (2020, June 17). Coronavirus misinformation, and how scientists can help to fight it. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01834-3. 

(3) The Science of Social Media - Persuasion Techniques. https://www.richmedia.com/richideas/articles/the-science-of-social-media-persuasion. 

(4) CBS News. (2020, June 17). Jim Bakker sued by second state for selling fake coronavirus 

cure. CBS News. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jim-bakker-sued-by-second-state-for-selling-fake-coronavirus-cure/. 

(5) Rancourt, D. (2020, August 14). Masks Don't Work: A Review of Science Relevant to COVID-19 Social Policy. River Cities' Reader. https://www.rcreader.com/commentary/masks-dont-work-covid-a-review-of-science-relevant-to-covide-19-social-policy. 

(6) O’Connor, C., & Murphy, M. (2020, April 24). Going viral: doctors must tackle fake news in the covid-19 pandemic. The BMJ. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1587. 

Juanita Mora, M. D. | M. 26. (2020). Asthma & COPD: COVID-19 Myth Busting with Dr. Juanita Mora. American Lung Association. https://www.lung.org/blog/covid-19-myth-busting.