“Infodemic”

Government lab experiment gone wrong; brought to you by Bill Gates; TV coronavirus medicines? – these are just three of countless conspiracies, rumors, and flat-out lies that have spread nearly as fast as the coronavirus itself over recent months. After years of fake news, commentators and experts alike wondered: how will the world react when misinformation is directed not towards a certain political campaign, but at a global pandemic?

We now find ourselves, on Sunday, March 22nd, 2020, with a total of 335,991 confirmed cases and 14,641 deaths worldwide. This comes nearly three months into the worst crisis the globe has faced since World War II. After weeks of ignoring the threat of the coronavirus, at times referring to it as a “hoax,” the President has now declared a national state of emergency. Even so, states around the country are competing with each other for medical supplies, testing is neither widespread nor mandatory, and confirmed cases in the US continue to rise day after day.

Many have compared the United States’ response to that of Italy, a country that experienced nearly 2,000 deaths over the past weekend alone. Just today in the United States, more than 100 lives were lost. If we are, as experts say, ten days to two weeks behind Italy, the worst is still yet to come. While many have recognized the severity of the outbreak, still some remain who see it is as a political attempt to undermine the President’s authority and weaken his reelection chances. This rhetoric is not only wrong, it is quite literally lethal. As the response to the pandemic continues to drag along, we will inevitably see countless more infections and deaths, and it may not be until 12-18 months from now that we see the end of this catastrophe. It is crucial, now more than ever, to act in the best interest of humanity, not your need for 48 rolls of toilet paper or 5 gallons of hand sanitizer. Click here to read more on the spread of misinformation and how social media platforms are dealing with it.