{"id":5466,"date":"2020-08-09T11:45:44","date_gmt":"2020-08-09T10:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=5466"},"modified":"2020-10-12T22:16:22","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T21:16:22","slug":"weekly-newsletter-on-the-ongoing-infodemic-august-9-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/weekly-newsletter-on-the-ongoing-infodemic-august-9-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Newsletter on the Ongoing Infodemic: August 9, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Silas Jonathan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are fact-checkers at the brim of COVID-19 vaccine-related misinformation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Stella Immanuel, a doctor, made public claims that an anti-malaria drug can treat and cure Covid-19, the world that was already yearning for such information raced, even if uncritically, to believe her claims. While the announcement came to some as a soothing surprise, others viewed it as a dangerous claim that completely lacked basis, that could be the foundation for an insidious misinformation. For most fact-checkers, however, the claim merely compounded entries into an irritating reserve of skepticism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, for fact-checkers, the dilemma further deepened the gullibility of people, especially amidst the pandemic when people are desperate for solutions.  Afterall, members of the public are predisposed to believe most things doctors say, even when such things  conflict with the views of a higher authority such as the World Health Organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Towards a possible vaccine<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Though Dr. Stella might have raised hopes for many, most health practitioners understand that vaccines normally take years, if not decades, to develop. However, the evolution of the coronavirus vaccine suggested the possibility of a miracle.  Afterall, the first human trial data<\/a>, back in May, revealed that the first eight patients participating in the antibodies study gave hope that  the virus neutralized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, trials of the vaccine developed by Oxford University have cheeringly shown it can trigger an immune response<\/a>, just as the example from China, where scientists offered the Chinese military a vaccine considered safe<\/a>, but the icing on the cake may well be the narrative shift from Russia where the claim of a breakthrough in vaccine development well beyond human trials<\/a> was recently announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are the Russians on the verge of a eureka?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The recent announcement<\/a> by a Russian university of the successful completion of clinical trials of the world\u2019s first vaccine against the coronavirus on humans adds a new twist to the vaccine development race, yet what is even more notable is the declaration that Russia had delivered<\/a> its Avifavir medication against COVID-19 to 15 countries already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hope now is that Avifavir, which had received a registration certificate from the Russian Ministry of Health in late May as the world\u2019s novel cure for the treatment of COVID-19, will hopefully bring the ferocious COVID related-infodemics to a stop and to the delight of fact-checkers.  However, hardly had the world settled into a relief that the curious revelation from the Russians that the same vaccine would again undergo \u201clarge-scale phase three trials this month!\u201d<\/a> and be ready for distribution <\/a>on a mass scale in October.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the vaccine for the coronavirus is developed, will people take it? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Vaccine hesitancy<\/a> has always been a major challenge. In some parts of Africa, people are very agnostic to the acceptance of vaccines and for African-Americans the bitter lessons of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment<\/a> (a project that deliberately used black men in Alabama as specimens) remain vivid and haunting. According to this poll<\/a>, many Americans will not want the vaccine. Results show only half to three-quarters intend to get the vaccine if one becomes available. Another poll conducted by Dubawa on 55 random respondents in Nigeria, revealed that 54.5% which is 30 out of the entire 55 respondents are prepared to take the Coronavirus vaccine when available, while 45.5%, [25 out of the 55 respondents] would not take part in such vaccination.  Majority of the respondents who said NO reason that,  \u201cITS A CONSPIRACY TO DOMINATE THE MASSES.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Forms<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Forms<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Though these findings are not universal and general, they reveal a new spectrum  of concerns for public health officials to worry about, in view of the scale of rejection of a vaccine. Consequently, just as efforts are geared towards a vaccine, educating people on why it’s crucial should also be prioritized. As for fact-checkers, however, it may just be the dawn of a new flood of misinformation, and it is only wise if they start building an ark to contain all the wild. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact checks of the week<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n