COVID-19: Why You Should Care About the Spread of Misinformation and the Coronavirus

Updated 2.21.20

On February 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced an official name for the novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China: COVID-19. While this may not sound like particularly exciting news, it’s a deliberate process with very specific goals in mind. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained: “we had to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people, and which is also pronounceable and related to the disease. Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatizing.” And unfortunately, inaccuracies and stigmatization are becoming widespread in conjunction with COVID-19. Particularly in an age of smart phones and social media platforms, it’s very easy to spread misinformation that can be annoying at best and dangerous at worst. For example, my hometown, New York City, has recently seen everything from a subway prank involving teenagers wearing hazmat suits pretending to ‘spill’ a bucket of liquid containing COVID-19 and the assault of an Asian woman wearing a surgical mask to school reports of an “uptick in comments and slurs against Asian students and teachers.”

At my company, Ovation Travel Group, we manage travel for over 300,000 business and leisure travelers, and I always say it is our foremost responsibility to consider the health and safety of others as they conduct business and go on vacations. Ovation has been in business for over 35 years; we’ve seen a number of public health issues, and part of our plan to combat those types of travel disruptions includes communicating correct and pertinent information to our clients. As our Senior Vice President of Leisure and Independent Advisors Gina Gabbard recently said, “The media sensationalizes, and not everyone is adventurous as some are […] so we stick with numbers, stick with facts and let the clients decide."

An ‘Infodemic.’ In early February, the WHO released a situation report that noted COVID-19 was “accompanied by a massive ‘infodemic’ - an over-abundance of information – some accurate and some not – that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it. Due to the high demand for timely and trustworthy information about [COVID-19], WHO technical risk communication and social media teams have been working closely to track and respond to myths and rumours.”

The WHO communication and social media response includes social media campaigns on such platforms as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Google:

• Instagram: “Q: Does [COVID-19] affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible? A: People of all ages can be infected by [COVID-10]. Older people, and people with pre-existing conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming seriously ill with the virus.”
• Twitter: “Q: Are antibiotics effective in preventing and treating [COVID-10]? A: No, antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria. [COVID-19] is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment.”
• Pinterest: “Q: Is it safe to receive a letter or a package from China? A: Yes, it is safe. People receiving packages from China are not at risk of contracting [COVID-19]. From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages.”

Xenophobia. Reports of racism and xenophobia against Asian people and communities are unfortunately becoming widespread worldwide. These range from widely spread and misinformed Instagram posts blaming Chinese people eating ‘bat soup’ as the cause of the disease, to many reports of individual harassment, to various storefronts, restaurants and even educational facilities banning Chinese and other East Asian visitors. US Senator, Tom Cotton, spread the conspiracy theory that COVD-19 is a biological weapon of war developed by the Chinese government, even while admitting there was no evidence to support that claim; when criticized for spreading unfounded, anti-Chinese sentiment, he then dialed back his response to saying it was one of several hypotheses, although experts such as the WHO and CDC say that isn’t the case. The good news is that supportive movements are also starting to emerge. For example, Australia has started a social media campaign as a result of Chinese restaurants and stores losing revenue due to panic directed against Asian communities. #IWillEatWithYou serves as a “pledge to defeat baseless fears and support these businesses in their time of need.”

Understanding New Numbers. Last week, the number of cases spiked dramatically - roughly 14,000 in 1 day. On Thursday, Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, explained the change: "in Hubei province only, a trained medical professional can now classify a suspected case of COVID-19 as a clinically confirmed case on the basis of chest imaging, rather than having to have a laboratory confirmation. This allows clinicians to move and report cases more quickly, without having to wait for lab confirmation, assuring that people get to clinical care more quickly and also allows public health responses in terms of contact tracing and other important public health measures to be initiated.” This Thursday, China’s guidelines changed again; now, only a lab test can confirm COVID-19 and other cases will be classified as “suspected.”

Official Updates. Right now, there are over 76,100 confirmed cases and over 2,245 deaths in at least 27 countries; most of the cases, including all but 10 deaths, are in China. There are currently 33 confirmed cases in the US, including 18 people who were evacuated from a cruise ship off the coast of Japan. The WHO, State Department, CDC, government and airline updates are as follows:

• The WHO declared [COVID-19] a global health emergency, but not a pandemic. On February 17th, they noted: ““The real issue here is whether we’re seeing efficient community transmission outside of China. And at the present time, we’re not observing that.”
• The State Department has issued a Level 4 “do not travel” advisory to China, stating, “Travelers should be prepared for the possibility of travel restrictions with little or no advance notice.”
• The CDC has issued a "Warning - Level 3" alert for China, recommending that travelers avoid all non-essential travel.
• On February 19th, the CDC issued “Watch - Level 1” travel advisories to Hong Kong and Japan. This means travelers should practice usual precautions; the CDC does not recommend cancelling or postponing travel to these countries at this time.
• The US government issued a Presidential Proclamation that imposed entry requirements, which went into effect on February 2nd. They include a quarantine for travelers from Hubei Province, entry denial for foreign nationals that traveled to China and a requirement for US citizens who have traveled to China to enter the US through an approved airport.
• Over 40 airlines have cancelled some or all routes to China, including American (through April 24th and includes Hong Kong in suspension, Delta (through April 30th) and United (through April 23rd and includes Hong Kong in suspension). The specifics for each airline can change, so contact the airline or your travel consultant to discuss a trip status, policy on an itinerary change and possible options.

Traveler Advice. The CDC has particular instructions for recent travelers to China, but they also state: “The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to [COVID-19]. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses.” Those actions include washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, covering your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing and staying home when sick. They also note, “While the immediate risk of this new virus to the American public is believed to be low at this time, everyone can do their part to help us respond to this emerging public health threat.” First on their list? A recommendation to get a flu vaccine. For perspective, the CDC has estimated up to 36,000,000 cases of the flu in the US in this season alone.

And as WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus continues to reiterate in all of his media briefings: “Stigmatizing individuals or entire nations does nothing but harm the response. Instead of directing all our energy against the outbreak, stigma diverts our attention and turns people against each other. I will say it again: this is a time for solidarity, not stigma.” Because infodemics and fear mongering aren’t healthy for anyone.