Data released in January 2021 by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication Programs** suggest that across 23 countries, only 63 percent of respondents will accept a vaccine. Low rates of vaccine acceptance are a concern across the globe. "Therefore, finding solutions to the infodemic is as vital for saving lives from COVID-19 as public health measures, like mask-wearing and hand hygiene, to equitable access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostics." "Public trust in science and evidence is essential for overcoming COVID-19," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. In the early days of the pandemic, much of the misinformation focused on whether COVID-19 was in fact a serious disease, whether people could protect themselves with public health measures like mask-wearing, as well as erroneous treatments and cures.Ī year into the pandemic, vaccines are being rolled out, and information about them - some reliable and some not - is everywhere. At its launch it became the second most viewed COVID-19 related page on the WHO website. The Reporting Misinformation campaign reached millions of people globally and social media messages were shared in 5 international languages including English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. The issue of infodemics is of enormous importance and the UK will be leading a global response under our G7 Presidency this year," he added. "We are incredibly proud of the joint communications work we have done to strengthen global health security and vaccine confidence. As the pandemic hit globally and the world sought collective action on the additional threat from the infodemic, our partnership was made even stronger." ' Reporting Misinformation', launched in August, galvanized people to not only verify information but showed them how to report misinformation to various social media platforms.Īlex Aiken, Executive Director of UK Government Communications, said,"The UK and the World Health Organization have a long history of collaboration. It aimed to raise the public's awareness of the volume of misinformation around COVID-19 and encourage people to double check information, therefore limiting the damage and spread of false information. ' Stop the Spread' rolled out on BBC World television, website and apps during May and June 2020. This was one of several initiatives to combat misinformation taken by WHO on its own and with partners since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. To try to control the COVID-19 infodemic, WHO has teamed up with the United Kingdom Government to create and distribute content to combat the spread of misinformation through a series of communication campaigns. Uncertainty in turn fuels skepticism and distrust, which is the perfect environment for fear, anxiety, finger-pointing, stigma, violent aggression and dismissal of proven public health measures - which can lead to loss of life. They create a breeding ground for uncertainty. Though they aren't new, in our digital age infodemics spread like wildfire. False information runs the gamut, from discrediting the threat of COVID-19 to conspiracy theories that vaccines could alter human DNA. During this period, researchers say at least 800 people may have died due to misinformation related to COVID-19*.Īt its extreme, death can be the tragic outcome of what the World Health Organization has termed the infodemic, an overabundance of information - some accurate, some not - that spreads alongside a disease outbreak. In the first 3 months of 2020, nearly 6 000 people around the globe were hospitalized because of coronavirus misinformation, recent research suggests. The United Kingdom and WHO collaborate to manage the infodemicĪcting on the wrong information can kill.
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