Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bots, Trolls Ease Up On Spread Of Covid Misinfo As They Pivot To Ukraine
The Guardian: ‘Bot Holiday’: Covid Disinformation Down As Social Media Pivot To Ukraine
When David Fisman tweets, he often receives a deluge of hate within moments of posting. Fisman, an epidemiologist and physician, has been outspoken about Covid and public health. Even when he tweets something innocuous – once, to test his theory, he wrote the banal statement “kids are remarkable” – he still receives a flood of angry pushback. But in recent days, Fisman noticed an “astounding” trend, he said. He posted about topics like requiring vaccination and improving ventilation to prevent the spread of Covid – and the nasty responses never came. No support for the trucker convoy, no calls to try the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, for treason. ... Covid misinformation, which has often trended on social media over the past two years, seems to be taking a nosedive. (Schreiber, 3/4)
CNN: Surgeon General Launches Effort To Get To The Bottom Of Covid-19 Misinformation
The office of US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a request Thursday for information surrounding health misinformation, seeking input and data from tech companies, health care providers and community organizations. The request seeks to understand the scope and impact of misinformation on Covid-19 -- especially when it comes to health care and people's willingness to get vaccinated. "Misinformation has had a profound impact on Covid-19 and our response," Murthy told CNN. "Studies have demonstrated that the vast majority of the American public either believes common myths about Covid-19 or thinks those myths might be true. And many of those include myths around the Covid-19 vaccine, so we've seen firsthand how misinformation is harming people's health when it comes to Covid." (Nedelman and Bonifield, 3/3)
And more on the spread of misinformation —
ABC News: Group Of Physicians Combats Misinformation As Unproven COVID-19 Treatments Continue To Be Prescribed
In July 2020, as the country faced its first summer wave of coronavirus cases, a group of physicians stood in front of the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court and held their first self-titled "White Coat Summit" to tout the unproven benefits of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment. "It is called hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and Zithromax," Dr. Stella Immanuel, a Houston-based primary care physician, told the crowd. "I know you people want to talk about a mask. Hello? You don't need a mask. There is a cure." (Kim, Romero, Abdelmalek and Osunsami, 3/4)
ABC News: Ivermectin, Condemned By Experts As COVID-19 Treatment, Continues To Be Easily Accessible Through Telemedicine
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, as hospitals became overrun, a group of doctors began touting an anti-parasitic medicine called ivermectin as a viable treatment for COVID-19, one going as far as calling it a "miracle cure" for the coronavirus, despite experts in the medical community urging caution and warning that science so far did not support its use in the treatment of COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial. "There is a drug that is proving to be a miraculous impact, and when I say miracle, I do not use that term lightly," Dr. Pierre Kory, a critical care physician, said at a congressional hearing in December 2020. "And I don't want to be sensationalized." (Kim, Romero, Abdelmalek and Osunsami, 3/3)
AP: Anti-Vaccine Doctor Pleads Guilty To Joining Capitol Riot
A California doctor known as a leading purveyor of coronavirus misinformation pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge on Thursday for joining the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last year. Dr. Simone Gold, founder of the anti-vaccine group America’s Frontline Doctors, entered the plea to a charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. The conviction carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. (Kunzelman, 3/3)
