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Thursday, December 10, 2020

COVID-19 Update: The Other Pandemic


The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a pandemic of misinformation and disinformation. What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation? Misinformation is information that is inaccurate, false, or misleading. Disinformation is misinformation that is spread with the intent to deliberately deceive people. Among the subjects of the misinformation and disinformation circulating on the internet is the existence and seriousness of the pandemic; the need for face masks, social distancing, and other safety measures, and their effectiveness; and now the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. As long as the pandemic of misinformation and disinformation goes unchecked, we are not likely to see an end to the COVID19 pandemic anytime soon. 

Below I have given links to six articles that I believe may prove edifying. I was particularly concerned to read that President Trump had embraced a theory of “herd immunity” that has been strongly criticized as unethical and which would cause further suffering and deaths from the pandemic in the United States if it became the basis of the US response to the pandemic. The President has in earlier public statements in which he prioritized economic recovery written off a large segment of the population as expendable. The influence of this theory may explain at least in part the Trump administration’s decision not to buy extra Pfizer vaccine.

'We are talking about people’s lives,' dire warnings of public health crisis as COVID vaccine misinformation rages
Alternative health website spreads false claim about COVID-19 vaccine side effects
New Zealand party spreads misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines, attributed to anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr
On this big day for vaccine development, daily deaths from Covid-19 just exceeded the deaths from 9/11
Trump Cheers ‘Terrific’ Rise in COVID Cases During Off-The-Rails Vaccine Summit
Trump officials scramble to justify decision not to buy extra Pfizer vaccine doses 

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