Social media unite voices to combat COVID-19 with correct information
The Red Cross on Tuesday launched what it said was the first global network of social media influencers to battle misinformation about the new coronavirus and spread lifesaving content about the pandemic.
Experts have been warning for months that the pandemic has been cloaked in a massive “infodemic” – a deluge of information, including widespread false claims, which can pose a serious threat to public health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) website lists a catalogue of dangerous “myths” circulating about the virus, including suggestions that hot peppers or excessive exposure to the sun can prevent or cure COVID-19.
And it flatly debunks suggestions by US President Donald Trump and others that injecting disinfectant or exposing the body to ultraviolet radiation can rid the body of the virus.
But while the WHO and others are putting out correct information, it can be difficult to reach everyone and counter the misconceptions.
“Getting the right information out there when an emergency strikes is as important as healthcare,” Nicola Jones, media manager for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said in a statement.
In a bid to reach young people especially with accurate and vital information about the deadly disease spreading around the globe, IFRC said it had joined forces with marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy to sign up more than two dozen prominent individuals with large social media followings.
Those influencers who have signed on to the campaign so far have a joint reach of nearly two million followers across four countries, IFRC said, adding that it expected the list of participants, and followers reached, to swell significantly over coming days and weeks.
They include Antonio Nunziata of Italy – one of the countries hardest hit in the pandemic – who has more than 230,000 followers, and interior design blogger Katie Woods of Britain, with nearly 190,000 followers.
Influencers from Mexico and the United Arab Emirates are also on the list.
“Influencers have a crucial role to play in tackling this infodemic and cutting through the noise,” Jones said.
The reach of influencers has increased significantly since countries around the world began implementing lockdowns and other measures to halt the spread of COVID-19.
Photo taken with a mobile phone on April 24, 2020 shows a handover ceremony of medical equipment donated by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Zhuzhou Locomotive Co. Ltd. in Berlin, Germany. China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), the world’s largest rolling stock manufacturer by production volume, donated a shipment of medical equipment to Germany via the German Red Cross on Friday to help the country fight the coronavirus. Responding to the call from the German government and the Chinese Embassy in Germany, and in accordance with an arrangement between CRRC and CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co. Ltd. (CRRC ZELC), the company donated 1,000 protective suits, 20,000 FFP2 masks and 80,000 surgical masks. (CRRC ZELC/Handout via Xinhua)
