COLORADO, USA — As the country takes on the challenge of vaccinating as many people as possible, doctors are also dealing with another wide-spread issue: misinformation.
In 2020, Harvard Kennedy School conducted a misinformation review. Researchers found a strong association between social media exposure and misperceptions about COVID-19.
"I would say we're having two pandemics right now," 9Health Expert Dr. Payal Kohli said. "One is the coronavirus pandemic, and one is the misinformation pandemic, and they're both hard to fight, but we have to fight both of them."
The fight against misinformation made headlines in January. After baseball legend Hank Aaron passed away, social media users began connecting his death to a recent tweet of him getting the coronavirus vaccine. Some believed the two incidents were connected, even though a medical examiner determined he died of natural causes.
"The clinical trials have showed us that these vaccines are safe and well-tolerated and don't increase your risk of dying," Dr. Kohli said. "We have eradicated diseases based on vaccines and spreading this type of misinformation propagated by social media, it's really harmful on so many levels."
The harm could be greatly reduced, Dr. Kohli said, if all users use their power to find credible sources and understand the weight of their words.
"Really look at the science and let that guide you rather than fear or conspiracy theories, or misinformation," she said.
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