Misinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Stavroula Koulocheri, A.

Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, NKUA, Greece

Dr. Stavroula Koulocheri, A., Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, NKUA, Greece.

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Misinformation; Disinformation

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 is considered one of the worst global crises of the past. At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, a lack of certainty dominated, an “uncertainty vacuum”, relating to knowledge and empirical evidence, with conflicting evidence and a high level of emergency. During the COVID-19 outbreak, communication with the public was somewhat poor. The inherent scientific uncertainty of a realmessages about how contagious and deadly is the disease compared to influenza, time pandemic involves different and ambiguous resulting in a widespread public confusion. Health misinformation, unsubstantiated opinions about health, has the potential cause many harmful effects to the to public’s health with many consequences to global public health.

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