Disinformation of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

COVID-19

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever, cough, etc. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified it as a new type of coronavirus after China reported an outbreak in December 2020. Most coronaviruses are not dangerous, however, the infections from COVID-19 have ranged from mild to deadly. The disease mainly affects those who are 65 and older along with people with underlying health conditions, but there is still plenty left to discover about the disease. It is mainly spread through person to person contact from respiratory droplets that come from coughing, sneezing, or talking. As a result, a major way of combatting the virus is limiting in person contact and communication. Researchers are still uncertain what caused the COVID-19 variant, but coronaviruses are common in humans and animals including bats, camels, cats, and cattle. However, since the COVID-19 strain is similar to the strains of MERS and SARS, the origin is believed to have come from bats.

COVID-19 Pandemic

A screenshot of reported cases throughout the pandemic

On March, 11 2019, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 crisis a global pandemic. In the months following the shutdown, the entire United States was shut down to help prevent the spread of the virus in an unprecedented move. This caused the economy of the United States to come to a halt and caused the worst recession seen since the Great Recession of 2009. The lockdown caused a great deal of controversy as small businesses everywhere struggled to stay afloat without being able to open their doors to the public. As states wished to reopen their economies, the information about the Coronavirus such as new case numbers, new death tolls, and testing positivity rates in certain areas were vital to arguments of each side of the aisle. Because this data was important to each argument, there were instances of it being skewed to fit different agendas.

Controversy and Conspiracies of COVID-19

Anti-Masking

As said above, a major way that COVID-19 spreads is through respiratory droplets. So, a good defense against both spreading the virus and protecting yourself was wearing protective masks that would filter out viruses and bacteria from the air. Although this method has proven to reduce the spread of the virus, there are those who are against using them because they see them making it more difficult to breathe or see them as the government infringing on their freedoms. Proponents of this behavior have tried to spread disinformation about the pandemic, pushing information that makes COVID-19 as a minimal threat despite overwhelming evidence in the opposite direction.

COVID-19 Vaccination

Since COVID-19 spread through the United States, the development of an effective vaccine has been at the center of attention around this pandemic. The development of this vaccine was called "Operation Warp Speed," and the vaccine is now being distributed all over the United States. However, despite much testing and no evidence of bad long term effects, a recent survey showed that only 50-70% of United States citizens wish to receive the vaccine. It has been estimated that about 70-90% of the population will need to receive the vaccine to reach herd immunity. Some concerns about the vaccine are certainly warranted. The vaccine has been developed at an incredibly fast pace, which has people believing that it is largely untested. However, there have also been some conspiracy theories about the vaccine such as the vaccine being developed so that Bill Gates would be able to put microchip trackers in a large portion of the population through the vaccine. These conspiracies are false, and they will only serve to make people more skeptical about receiving the vaccine which will lengthen the time it takes to reach herd immunity.

The Spread of Disinformation

As the pandemic continued, so did the confusion around it. The spread of disinformation on the internet increased rapidly during the pandemic, and it was mainly caused by an increase in the use of information technologies, especially social media.

Social Media

The issue of disinformation spread on social media has been a complicated one. On one hand, social media platforms are supposed to be platforms where people can speak freely about any topics they choose. However, these platforms have become so large and popular that they also have a responsibility to promote content that is truthful. Among the main spreaders of disinformation was ex-President Donald J. Trump, who often downplayed the risks of COVID-19 on Twitter. As a result, his account was banned from the Twitter platform due to his tweets and its outcomes, mainly the Capitol riot in January. After this action by the social media company, the amount of disinformation online about COVID-19 among other issues dropped dramatically. As these platforms continue to grow, they have a responsibility to fact check posts, especially large ones, to limit the spread of disinformation.

Helicopters Spraying Disinfectant

During March 2020, there were stories that helicopters were going to fly over neighborhoods and spray disinfectant in the air to kill the virus and end the spread. This claim originated in India, Mexico, and Switzerland, and eventually spread to the United States. The information was shared through text messages over WhatsApp before spreading through multiple social media platforms. In particular, residents of New York City received texts that warned them to close their windows and doors as the disinfectant would be in the air after 11:00 p.m. This caused New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson to address these rumors over Twitter and deny the validity of the information.

5G Spreading COVID-19

In late January 2020, Facebook posts that claimed 5G technology was responsible for the emergence of the COVID-19 started circulating around the internet.This was around the same time the first cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the United States. The posts either claimed that 5G weakened the immune system and allowed people to be more susceptible to the virus, or 5G technology had the potential to transmit the virus. According to University of Reading’s Dr. Simon Clarke, however, the claims are unfounded. The associate professor in microbiology states the immune system can be weakened by many factors, and 5G radio waves are not included as they are not strong enough to heat people enough to affect them in any capacity. Clarke claims that viruses and electromagnetic waves are “as different as chalk and cheese.” One flaw to this specific conspiracy theory is that COVID-19 is being spread in specific areas of countries like the United Kingdom and Iran that do not have 5G access yet.