COVID misinformation is a threat to public health, Surgeon General says. What can be done?
In mid-July, the U.S. surgeon general issued a stark warning: health misinformation is a “serious threat to public health,” and it’s making it harder to pull through the pandemic.
That’s why Dr. Vivek Murthy published an advisory on July 15 urging Americans to help identify and combat health misinformation in their communities.
“Limiting the spread of health misinformation is a moral and civic imperative that will require a whole-of-society effort,” he wrote.
Health misinformation is confusing and can come in different forms. It can mean sharing false information about COVID-19 vaccines, masking and social distancing online. It also can weaken public health efforts to educate and dispel rumors, according to the surgeon general’s statement.
Experts are alarmed by the spreading of misinformation as COVID-19 cases rise due to the highly contagious delta variant and vaccination rates slip.
“What we can say, quite confidently, is that exposure to misinformation can, at least in this setting, cause people to be less willing to get vaccinated,” said Sahil Loomba, a Ph.D. student in applied mathematics at Imperial College London.
Loomba is one of the authors of a study that measured how COVID-19 vaccine misinformation affected people’s intent to get vaccinated in the United States and the United Kingdom. The study was published Feb. 5, in the journal Nature Human Behavior.
“Misinformation is not the only contributor to lowering of vaccination incentives, but it is probably a serious one,” he said.
That means small decreases in the number of individuals willing to take the vaccine can make a big difference in vaccination rates, Loomba added.
In North Carolina, 58% of adults have been fully vaccinated as of Aug. 3, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services data. But that’s less than the national figure, which shows 60.6% of the country’s adults are fully vaccinated.
The U.S. surgeon general emphasized that individuals have the power to shape our information environment. Here are some steps for individuals to take to safeguard themselves and their communities from health misinformation.
Recognize that it can happen to anybody
Anyone can be vulnerable to health misinformation, said Brian Southwell, senior director of the Science in the Public Sphere program at RTI International, a nonprofit research institute headquartered in Research Triangle Park.
One reason is because everyone consumes health information through the lens of their own life experiences, said Tianduo Zhang, researcher at the Advanced Center for COVID-19 Related Disparities (ACCORD) at N.C. Central University.
The reasons people give for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine, for example, can differ across age, racial and gender lines, Zhang said.
“If you want to communicate science to people, you need to understand their concerns,” Loomba adds. “And different demographic groups can have different concerns about vaccines and other health matters.”
Acknowledging that anyone can spread health misinformation can take the stigma out of being misled. This can help communities focus on taking actionable steps towards preventing misinformation, Southwell said.
Listen to a select set of trusted sources
Southwell recommends that communities form bonds with credible, local news organizations.
“I think a lot of this is about relationships, strangely enough,” Southwell said. “Relationships between healthcare professionals and their constituents; between local news sources and the people who trust them.”
Refining your list of trusted sources for health information can lessen the likelihood of consuming misinformation, Southwell said.
Promote media literacy
Another way to combat health misinformation is to promote media literacy in your community, said Zhang.
Zhang is part of the Messaging Development Core, a branch of ACCORD that aims to improve the quality and reach of COVID-19 information given to underserved communities in North Carolina.
Media literacy learning can include topics such as:
Common ways misinformation is created and spread.
How to distinguish between credible and non-credible news and content.
Identifying AI-generated misinformation such as deepfakes.
More resources
ACCORD hosts virtual media literacy seminars that are available to the public.
DHHS has a hotline that the public can call for COVID-19 vaccine-related questions at 888- 675-4567.
The NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) has also distributed resources for health professionals looking to neutralize misinformation.
“We have the power to shape our information environment, but we must use that power together,” Murthy, the surgeon general, wrote. “Only then can we work toward a healthier information environment — one that empowers us to build a healthier, kinder, and more connected world.”
