US Politicians, Social Media Are Main Source For Misinfo, Americans Think
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs and the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute poll found that about 75% of people think foreign governments spread less misinformation. Axios reports that despite a promise to ban harmful vaccine content, YouTube still allows lots to stay online.
The Hill:
Poll: Americans Think US Politicians, Social Media Spread Misinformation More Than Foreign Governments
The majority of Americans believe U.S. politicians and social media companies spread misinformation online more than China, Russia, or other foreign governments, a poll released Friday found. According to a poll carried out by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs and the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute, around three-quarters of respondents believe that politicians, social media companies, and social media users are responsible for spreading misinformation. (Miller, 10/8)
Axios:
YouTube Allows COVID Misinformation To Stay Up
YouTube decided last month to ban "harmful vaccine content" from the site, thereby cutting off a major vector of misinformation. Yet one especially high-profile and dangerous vaccine misinformation channel in Germany remains up and running. When tech giants announce major policy changes, there's always a suspicion they're doing so for their domestic audience, and specifically for U.S. journalists and policymakers. Which makes it easy for them to ignore content made in Berlin. (Salmon and McGill, 10/7)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Censored Over COVID-19 Misinformation, St. Louis County To Stop Using YouTube By Oct. 19
YouTube soon won’t have worry about taking down St. Louis County Council meetings over people making false or unproven claims about COVID-19 and vaccines. After Oct. 19, all council meetings will be exclusively streamed to a new streaming platform, BoxCast. The County began looking for a new video host in August after YouTube temporarily censored at least four council meetings for violating guidelines barring COVID-19 misinformation. (Benchaabane, 10/7)
In other public health news —
Health News Florida:
College Football Stadiums Are Packed, But So Far There Have Been No Apparent Pandemic Outbreaks
College football stadiums across Florida with tens of thousands of non-masked, screaming students and boosters packed closely together have so far resulted in no recognizable community outbreaks amid the pandemic, according to infection figures on the state’s biggest campuses. The season began amid fears that big games could become super-spreader events. Now, nearly halfway through the season – which kicked off as the highly infectious Delta variant was still spreading across the U.S. – the days and weeks after home games showed no significant surges on college campuses. (Velazquez, 10/7)
CIDRAP:
CDC: Salmonella Outbreak Tied To Salads Infected 31 People In 4 States
The CDC says its investigation into a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak that was linked to packaged salads from BrightFarms has come to an end; it confirmed 31 cases in 4 states—Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania—20 more than in its most recent update. Four people were hospitalized during this outbreak, and no deaths were reported. Illness-onset dates range from Jun 10 to Aug 18. Illinois had the most illnesses, with 18, followed by Wisconsin (10), Pennsylvania (2), and Michigan (1). (10/7)
USA Today:
Flu Shot: 40% Of Americans May Not Get Flu Vaccine Amid COVID
More than 4 in 10 Americans aren't sure about or aren't planning on getting a flu shot this year, a new survey found, in a worrying trend public health experts say could exacerbate a worse-than-average flu season. Last year's worries around a "twindemic" of influenza and COVID-19 overwhelming hospitals around the nation luckily went unfounded after a historically mild flu season. But with COVID-19 vaccinations affording many people a return to more "normal" lives of socialization and in-person work during flu season, hospitals and health systems could be strained in parts of the country where vaccination against both viruses remains low, doctors say. (Miller, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
What Is Frozen Shoulder? Symptoms, Treatment And A Possible Pandemic Connection.
Sarah Noll Wilson started feeling the sharp pain in her right shoulder last July any time she would try to reach her arm behind her. “It got to the point where it was like take-your-breath-away pain,” said Noll Wilson, 40, of Des Moines. “I knew it wasn’t right, but because it would only happen at certain times at that point, I didn’t think it was as serious as it was.” That pain, Noll Wilson later came to learn, marked the beginning of a condition that would disrupt her life for months: frozen shoulder. (Chiu, 10/7)
