With more than 198 million confirmed cases worldwide (at the time of writing), it is safe to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on all of us. [1] One of the determining factors on how well we combat this pandemic is how we deal with misinformation, as it can affect implementation of important, life-saving measures such as mask-wearing and vaccination. [2]

What is an Infodemic?
Combination of the words “information” and “epidemic” – Infodemic was coined in 2003. The term is defined as the rapid dispersion of information, fact, rumours, and hoaxes on a disease, true or false. [3]

In the setting of the current pandemic, this blend of words has become relevant once again. The Director-General of WHO (World Health Organisation) had even warned the world in a statement clarifying that, “we’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic … (which could) spread faster and more easily than this virus.” [4]

Who’s Vulnerable?
Every one of us has encountered misinformation. Whether it be on social media, from a politician, friend, or family member. Many factors are thought to influence susceptibility to misinformation. A University of Cambridge study found that following specific political ideologies, identifying as a minority group, and having more exposure COVID-19 discourse on social media significantly predicted higher rates of trusting misinformation. [5]

Additionally, higher health and numerical literacy are linked with lower susceptibility of misinformation. This was also supported by an Alan Turing Research Institute paper. [2, 5]

These findings can help guide our journey against misinformation.

What can we do?
Multiple campaigns have been launched to help prevent the spread of this infodemic. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has an online misinformation page that links to a fact-checking web application. [6]

The United Nations has launched an initiative called Verified which advocates for fact-checking prior to sharing any information on social media. (Check it out! https://shareverified.com/en/) [7]

While institutional campaigns are important, we can each do our part. Staying informed from reliable sources and spreading only fact-checked pieces of information can help. When we encounter those who are misinformed, be patient, kind, and share reliable sources of health literacy!

By Elisa Lie
Promotions Director
AMSA Journal of Global Health
[email protected]

Reference List:

1. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
2. https://www.turing.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-02/misinformation_report_final1_0.pdf
3. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-were-watching-infodemic-meaning
4. The United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), UN.org, 28 Mar. 2020
5. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.201199#pane-pcw-details
6. https://www.acma.gov.au/online-misinformation