Opinion Graphic
Scrolling through social media has now become a daily exercise of distinguishing between fear-mongering and reality. The influx of numbers and figures have far-reaching effects on public health. Coronaviruses are a family of seven viruses, and SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in February that it was not only fighting the pandemic, but also an “infodemic,” which it defined as “an overabundance of information—some accurate and some not—that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”
College campuses have more responsibility to lead the fight against misinformation. The coronavirus news and numbers require some understanding of medical terminology and statistics in order to fully comprehend the current scenario. Misinterpretation of information can be curbed on college campuses by contributing towards improved media literacy. Making sure our own information is accurate is a first step and requires a diverse understanding of terms, statistics and the resources available.
Johns Hopkins University and Yale University have received widespread recognition for providing live updates on a real-time coronavirus tracking map. A few weeks later, the universities warned users to avoid a fake website designed to look like its tracking map, which was designed to steal information from users. NC State University also has an accurate coronavirus update platform and newsletter keeping the campus community informed.
Different media outlets and institutions have produced charts, dashboards and infographics to update and explain the virus, and it is crucial to check the sources for these graphs as well. Look for research that publishes incredible, high impact, peer-reviewed scientific journals such as Journal of the American Medical Association and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. CDC: Stop the Spread of Rumors, WHO: Mythbusters, FEMA: Coronavirus Rumor Control and U.S. Department of Defense: Rumor Control are some trustworthy sources specific to COVID-19 that arose as a result of this infodemic.
A lot of headlines are designed to be clickbait. An increase in the number of reported cases doesn’t necessarily mean that more people are getting infected. There are two important metrics used to describe COVID-19 statistics, namely Case Fatality Rate (CFR) and Infection Fatality Rate (IFR). CFR is the fatality rate of only the detected cases, while IFR is the fatality rate for all people infected (tested and untested). The number used in most headlines is CFR, and will always be an overestimate of the real infection fatality rate. Also, as testing is ramped up, CFR will invariably decrease and tend more towards the IFR.
With respect to the misinformation surrounding vaccines, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is investigating a vaccine to protect people against COVID-19. An experimental vaccine called mRNA-1273 has been developed by NIAID scientists. It could take at least a year before this or any other vaccine is available for the new disease. Hundreds of other examples of credible vaccine trials can be found by going to clinicaltrials.gov and searching for COVID-19.
In this case, the devil truly is in the details. Unless testing of the population is done randomly, the percentage of documented positive cases will not reflect the real percentage of the population infected. Comparisons between countries should account for differences in demographics and sampling methodologies and be based on percentage rates. A remedy is to establish a relevant and familiar baseline which makes developing an intuition about the numbers easier.
An important example of this is the effect of hydroxychloroquine; small sample sizes have led to misleading statistics. Technician columnist Skye Sarac has broken this down in her column published May 14. Meghan Manfra Ph.D., an associate professor of social studies education at the NC State College of Education, has compiled the best practices for media literacy in this complex media landscape. Her article is a comprehensive guide to understanding reliable information in a complex media landscape.
Comparing raw absolute numbers is irrelevant as we take into account the myriad of factors, rates and percentages that are a lot more accurate and easier to compare. This outbreak has led to an overload of misinformation, which is why it is important to think critically during these times. Reposting without double-checking will only add fuel to the fire, while accuracy can help cure and calm the pandemic paranoia.