Everybody has role to play in war on COVID-19 ‘infodemic’

To begin with, we heard about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from a distance, as we read about it spreading in Wuhan in faraway China. It was not a pandemic, we were told at the time. It was like influenza and produced flu-like symptoms — nothing to worry about, we were assured. Then it spread to other countries, coming closer and closer. Still, the news was generally reassuring about the ability of countries to contain the infection. We were impressed that China was building a whole hospital in 10 days to treat the infected and had quarantined cities with a combined population of 57 million, not knowing that we too would soon be under lockdown.

Nevertheless, tidbits of worrying news started seeping through. This is a new virus, it spreads very fast through touching, it is serious, it could lead to death, and there is no vaccine or cure. The situation in Italy sounded like an apocalypse. The numbers in several developed countries were shooting up fast, surpassing China. Suddenly, countries all around the world enforced precautionary measures, banning travel, ordering 24-hour lockdowns, and preventing any kind of direct human contact. “Wear masks, wash your hands, and keep a safe distance from other people” became the mantra.

We gobble up every bit of news about COVID-19. Stuck at home, our entire lives now take place indoors, whether school, work, hobbies, shopping, sports or staying in touch with family and friends. We find ourselves glued to our smartphones, computers, TVs, newspapers and every kind of online communication and news source. Officials, spokespersons and the mainstream media constantly feed us the latest facts and figures and the impact on health care, the economy — including unemployment, bankruptcies and poverty rates — and on our own disrupted family and social lives, with reports of increased domestic violence, depression and anxiety. We follow the numbers of infected and dead as if we are watching the stock market; what’s up, what’s down, which country reached the peak, which is recovering. It is as if we exist in parallel worlds: What we are seeing inside our homes and what is happening outside. All this while trying to maintain our calm and composure.

Meanwhile, unofficial sources and rumor mills are spewing unverified and malicious information at lightning speed through social media. Some of those most affected by misinformation and fake news are immigrants and minorities, such as Muslims in India and Sri Lanka, who were wrongfully blamed for spreading the virus and viciously attacked, exposing a hitherto dormant xenophobic side of society. Talk shows hosted guests and “experts” giving us all kinds of health advice, natural therapies and traditional remedies.

Then there were the clips from sci-fi books and movies that predicted everything about this virus years ago.

But all this was child’s play compared to the big shots: The conspiracy theorists with their web of global, mega, high-ranking, deep-state, top-secret, “Big Brother” scenarios that just left you dumbstruck and hopeless. This is the major league, with slick “documentaries” full of half-truths and twisted facts. Big names are mentioned, supposedly hushed-up documents and studies are revealed, and investigations exposed. We are told that elite, powerful, rich individuals want to control us, reduce the population through vaccines, monitor us by putting microchips into our bodies or via 5G networks, and on and on.

Trying to untangle this web is daunting, especially when some people — even intelligent, well-educated people — buy into these scenarios and seem to be convinced. Then you start finding yourself going down the rabbit hole of “what if.” It does not help when two powerful countries exchange accusations and hype up the debate about how and when the virus spread and who caused it. The problem with these scenarios is not only that they throw a shadow on the credibility of and confidence in governments, the medical and research community, and the media, but they also put people’s health and lives at risk by thwarting efforts to control and contain the disease.

However, the fact remains that even scientists and doctors do not know enough about COVID-19 or how to treat it so sometimes give contradictory information, which only adds to the confusion.

It is a challenge for governments and international organizations to debunk, refute and discredit every piece of information that roams social media in multiple languages and variations. It is a war not just on the pandemic itself, but also on the related “infodemic” — an overabundance of news that mixes facts, rumors and fake news.

Some countries have pursued criminal prosecutions and other measures related to tracking and countering rumors and misinformation on COVID-19. More importantly, the tech giants are removing content that contains misleading information, but sometimes, by the time they do that, the information has circulated the globe. Some sites are dedicated to debunking conspiracy theories and verifying the information claimed in various films and documents. These are important initiatives, but it remains for us the people to do our part. Just like it is our responsibility to follow the precautionary measures against spreading the virus for the sake of our health, it is also our responsibility to stop the spread of misinformation and rumors for the sake of our peace of mind. We can do this by being vigilant in verifying information and only taking it from credible and trustworthy sources.