COVID-19 ‘infodemic’ a major drawback

COVID-19 conspiracies and rampant misinformation in Zimbabwe have adversely impacted the effectiveness of containment strategies put in place by government, including the mass vaccination programme.

Since the outbreak of the respiratory disease last year, various social media platforms have been inundated with fake news ranging from overnight cures, to discouraging people from taking the vaccine.

Chief co-ordinator for the COVID-19 taskforce, Agnes Mahomva, recently said fake news and misinformation, coupled with fear, have become a huge problem for the country.

“We have to do away with the panic when we see numbers shooting up. Fake news and misinformation is our biggest challenge that we have to deal with,” she said.

Speaking during a health summit convened by Alpha Media Holdings through one of its publications, The Standard, Mahomva said this impeded preventive programmes aimed at halting further spread of the disease.

“Let us not miss the ball again. Let us hold on and continue with the strategies including the vaccine,” she said.

Mahomva said the second wave had been managed well, but any complacency would reverse the gains and throw the country’s healthcare system into further disarray.

Explaining the choice of vaccines for Zimbabwe, Mahomva assured the nation that careful consideration had been backed with scientific evidence.

Responding to queries why Zimbabwe had chosen Sinopharm ahead of other vaccines, she said the inactivated vaccine had been compared with other vaccines and fared favourably.

She said they had taken a bit of time before settling on Sinopharm simply because they were analysing the data which was approved by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.

“We are satisfied and happy with it ( Sinopharm),” she said.

Inactivated vaccines use a pathogen that has been modified so that it cannot replicate to stimulate the immune system.

They are safe and suitable for those with a compromised immune system. However, booster doses may be necessary.

Mahomva dispelled myths that the vaccines would cause sterility and urged people to take it than be exposed to the virus.

“While globally fake news is everywhere, Zimbabwe has taken it to another level. We create jokes about misinformation,” she said.

Speaking on the fake news crisis, Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights secretary Norman Matara said mistrust of government by the people was fuelling the misinformation.

He said results from a study had shown that half of the participants did not think the vaccine would work, while a similarly large percentage doubted if the vaccine had been tested given the accelerated development of the vaccines.

“But the vaccine was highly comparable.in terms of efficacy and safety, but people have trust issues with the government,” Matara said.

Globally, misinformation about COVID-19 has been said to fundamentally distort people’s risk perception of the virus.

The World Health Organisation has even warned of an on-going “infodemic” or an overabundance of information — especially misinformation — during an epidemic.