Overcoming COVID Myths and Fears in Malawi

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This article describes the effects of a UN-supported system of emergency care centers to care for COVID-19 patients in Malawi, a country where many do not receive proper medical care due to their distance from medical facilities.

Centers were established at several rural hospitals across Malawi’s 28 districts, bringing COVID-19 healthcare closer to rural people who constitute 80 per cent of the population.

The UN also equipped 1,800 health workers with COVID-19 training and personal protective equipment (PPE). It has been regularly reaching over 14 million people with messages encouraging prevention and access to treatment for those who do not feel well. A network of volunteers from over 300 community-based organisations – together with community radio stations, community leaders, a toll free line, and mobile phone messages sent through a dedicated platform – are used to communicate with people in remote parts of Malawi about the dangers of COVID-19 and the benefits of vaccination.

Source: Overcoming COVID Myths and Fears in Malawi

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    Fighting Misinformation in the Time of COVID-19, One Click at a Time

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    To try to control the COVID-19 infodemic, WHO has teamed up with the United Kingdom Government to create and distribute content to combat the spread of misinformation through a series of communication campaigns. This was one of several initiatives to combat misinformation taken by WHO on its own and with partners since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

    Source: Fighting Misinformation in the Time of COVID-19, One Click at a Time

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      Field Experience Summary: Rumour Management, Nigeria

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      Misinformation on COVID-19 in rural Nigeria was widespread. Rumours included that only those in cities, Egyptians, the rich, or people over 40 could get sick. In addition, rumours spread that alcohol consumption could prevent COVID-19 (based on the use of alcohol hand sanitiser), or that eating raw garlic could prevent it. While some of the stories and information were in the public domain prior to ActionAid Nigeria’s intervention in these communities, the precise levels misinformation in the community were brought to light during a preliminary visit to understand the needs of the population. The rumours meant that people were not taking proper precautions to avoid contracting the virus. In each of their communities they visited ActionAid Nigeria found that there was no social distancing, markets were full and worship centres crowded.

      In addition, ActionAid Nigeria noticed that COVID-19 awareness campaigns focused heavily on urban centres, and that radio channels and posters tended to target urban populations. Many rural communities lack network coverage, meaning they had limited access to the media campaigns ongoing. They found that in rural villages, many people were not even aware that COVID-19 existed, and that life was carrying on as normal. The objectives of ActionAid Nigeria’s programme were to raise awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, prevention, and services, as well as to dispel myths.

      To manage rumours and misinformation, ActionAid Nigeria have been running a ‘door to door’ campaign in rural communities. They have a team of 14 people in each community, including nine from their existing community team and five community facilitators.

      Source: Field Experience Summary: Rumour Management, Nigeria

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        India Fights COVID

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        As we address the COVID-19 challenge, there is an urgent need for credible, simple and easy-to-understand information. This website is a collaborative initiative that houses content and creative materials, related to COVID-19, curated by an editorial team. This content is in English, Hindi and other regional languages, and formats include images, GIFs, Videos etc. All resources are free to access. Please download and use on your social media channels.

        Source: India Fights COVID

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          Misinformation Alerts (Canada)

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          These insights are based on a combination of automated media monitoring and manual review by public health data analysts. Media data are publicly available data from many sources, such as social media, broadcast television, newspapers and magazines, news websites, online video, blogs, and more.

          Public health data analysts from the PGP (The Public Good Projects) triangulate this data along with other data from fact checking organizations and investigative sources to provide an accurate, but not exhaustive, list of currently circulating misinformation.

          Recommendations are provided, organized into three categories:

          • Ignore: Focus on current communications priorities.
          • Passive Response: Be prepared to address if directly asked, and in certain cases consider updating FAQ’s and info sheets addressing common myths and misperceptions. Otherwise, continue to focus on current communications priorities.
          • Direct Response: Directly address this misinformation.

          Source: Misinformation Alerts (Canada)

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          Innoculating against COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

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          The authors of this article state that confronting COVID-19 vaccine misinformation necessitates pre-emptive action to “immunize the public against misinformation”—a process that draws on the concept of psychological inoculation.

          Source: Innoculating against COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

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            La Vérité sur la Covid-19, Combattre la désinformation au Sahel

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            Le Timbuktu Institute, en partenariat avec le CESTI et Sayara International, lance ce jour la campagne “La Vérité sur la Covid-19, Combattre la désinformation au Sahel.

            Du Sénégal au Soudan, en passant par le Mali, la Mauritanie, le Niger, le Burkina Faso, le Tchad et le Nord-Cameroon, cette campagne combine recherche de terrain, veille médiatique, formation des journalistes et production de contenus éducatifs.

            Elle vise à équiper citoyens, journalistes et influenceurs avec les outils nécessaires pour faire face à la vague de désinformation qui accompagne la pandémie de coronavirus au Sahel.

            Source: La Vérité sur la Covid-19, Combattre la désinformation au Sahel

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              Who is Susceptible to Online Health Misinformation?

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              This study into who is more susceptible to health misinformation and also tested four hypotheses concerning their psychosocial attributes:

              1. Deficits in knowledge or skill
              2. Preexisting attitudes
              3. Trust in health care and/or science
              4. Cognitive miserliness.

                Source: Who is Susceptible to Online Health Misinformation?

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                YouTube as a Source of Information on the COVID-19 Pandemic

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                This paper seeks to assess the quality and validity of information available on YouTube, based on the current Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

                The authors identified the 250 most-viewed videos from 1 January 2020 to 12 May 2020 on YouTube using keyword ‘COVID 19’. Two independent reviewers analyzed the English-language videos as useful, misleading, or news updates.

                After excluding non-English and irrelevant videos, 100 videos were analyzed. The conclusion in the article is that YouTube is an increasingly important source of medical information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the videos were useful, however due to the public nature of the platform, misleading information may also be easily disseminated. Independent users are more likely to post-misleading videos.

                Source: YouTube as a Source of Information on the COVID-19 Pandemic

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                  Fake Covid Videos ‘Will Cost Lives’

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                  The Royal College of Physicians is urging people not to share and “copycat” “dangerous” videos claiming steam inhalation can prevent Covid-19. The BBC has found that alternative coronavirus treatments are being sent on chat apps like WhatsApp, as well as being widely available on social media.

                  BBC reporter Sima Kotecha has tracked the origins of one of these false videos to the state of Gujarat in India.

                  Source: Fake Covid Videos ‘Will Cost Lives’

                    Views 811