Stopping the spread of Covid-19 misinformation

 

One Minute Counts

One Minute Counts is an NGO that is focused in telling facts and having accurate information that can help diminish individuals "fears and anxieties" around "fake news" and support their ability to cope with any impacts in their lives. The NGO has became aware of the misinformation about Covid-19, that has been circulating for some time from one social media to another. We have then decided to take a conscious stand in stopping the distribution of unreliable and unhelpful fake news and be in support of the evidence-based reliable public information about Covid-19.

In the past few months Covid-19 has swept the globe, the internet and the media have also been blazing with stories, reports and constantly changing guidelines on how to stay safe in the world that has appeared to be out of control. Since Covid-19 started there has been a lot of fake news going around being spread by people who think they know better, because not so long ago after the WHO announced that Covid-19 had reached pandemic levels of infection, a conspiracy theory started to swirl around where the virus came from. The publications started to link the outbreak to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has studied the virus, people started saying the virus were engineered and despite its baseless claims, the conspiracy theory stuck in public because it also had the backing of President Trump. However, scientists agreed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, were likely to occurred in nature and not engineered and also if the virus were engineered there would be evidence that exactly the virus came from one of the coronaviruses the institute was studying.

In clearing all these banal pieces of misinformation about Covid-19, we also wish to tell people that the idea that masks don't work to shield people from Covid-19 or prevent its spread was created out of a public mishap and also that the Covid-19 vaccine permanently changes a person's DNA- which is simply not true. Firstly, the scientists and the public health officials have since learned that masks, even cloth masks are very effective at preventing transmission of Covid-19 because those masks block the wearer's potentially contagious respiratory droplets from hitting the air. And, as for the vaccines the FDA has approved vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer under emergency use authorization, this two vaccines teaches the body to develop antibodies to fight Covid-19 and does not fundamentally change a person's DNA. Moreover, the vaccines have so far shown to be highly effective against symptomatic Covid-19. There is still more to learn about the vaccines and whether they prevent the asymptomatic infection and how long they last after protection from the virus, what is known is that they are safe and outside handwashing, wearing masks and social distancing, the vaccines represent the best opportunity to bring the virus under control. One Minute Counts NGO knows very well that we are living in a digital world, that means we have access to the latest information on just any subject and this can be powerful and empowering, but it can also be harmful. By sharing this kind of information about Covid-19 it because we want to empower individuals and ensure that they stay abreast of the latest knowledge about the virus and can share useful data that, in the interest of public health can help change their behavior and stay safe.

In conclusion, as a non-profit organization we would like to urge everyone to take a stand in stopping the misinformation about Covid-19. Be very cautious of anything that promises "ground breaking" new development unless it is being widely shared by a well-established and reputable channels.