Anti-misinformation elves and problems with scaling
We hope you're all having a wonderful week. The sun is starting to finally show itself in Toronto, Ontario and it's a long weekend in many parts of the world. This week, we have more highlights coming up for you from Meedan's COVID-19 Expert Database, as well as some interesting news stories. Let's start with a team of elves in the Czech Republic...
Happy reading friends!
Top stories
An army of volunteer ‘elves’ fights disinfo in the Czech Republic (Coda Story)
They're tracking down sources, logging authors and going through suspicious looking online information with a fine-toothed comb. The Czech Elves — a group of savvy misinformation fighters in the Czech Republic — fight internet trolls and bad government actors, under complete anonymity.
"First appearing in October 2018, the Elves are dedicated to rooting out and debunking Russian propaganda, misinformation and fake news in the Czech Republic. Inspired by counter-disinformation movements in the Baltic states, their ranks include people from all walks of life — from doctors and students to members of the military," - Adam Zamecnik, Coda Story
The trouble with scale (Rest of World)
In this article by the new outlet Rest of World, Mattathias Schwartz outlines how 'scale' has taken on a meaning that goes beyond just doing business. The idea of scaling is tied greatly to expansion into emerging economies, and that has significant implications for those countries.
"For the so-called Rest of World countries, the risk that comes with scale is ignorance of the local, which brings with it the potential for catastrophe. In larger and more developed countries, an unhealthy obsession with scale can cause a company to trade away its reputation for the sake of access to a market that’s too big to pass up," Mattathias Schwartz, Rest of World
Community news media, a 'lifeline' for Latino families, now under threat by coronavirus (NBC News)
Economic turmoil is creating hardships for many news organizations amid the COVID-19 downturn. Community news in the United States is particularly critical information infrastructure for many Latino families, especially as pandemic misinformation is spreading online through social media and private messaging apps. Now, these important outlets are struggling for survival.
"Journalists working for community news outlets saw a huge amount of misinformation about "miracle cures" and "myths of how to prevent COVID-19" circulating among Spanish-speaking communities through platforms such as WhatsApp and other social media networks,' said Mochkofsky," Nicole Acevedo, NBC News
Top COVID-19 questions
Journalist and medical doctor, Dr. Seema Yasmin shares weekly highlights from Meedan's COVID-19 Expert Database
What does it mean to enter a Phase 2 of testing for a vaccine?
From the COVID-19 Expert Database: A huge amount of research needs to be done before a vaccine can enter testing phases. There are three research phases for clinical development of a new vaccine or medication. During the first stage (Phase I), the new vaccine is provided to small groups of people; this is the first time the vaccine is tested in humans. The second stage (Phase II) involves testing the vaccine on people who have similar characteristics (such as age and physical health) to the target population, or the group for which the vaccine is intended. The goal of this stage is to identify the most effective dosages and schedule for Phase III trials. The final stage (Phase III) provides the vaccine to thousands of people from the target population to see how safe and effective it is. Once the vaccine clears this last stage, the manufacturer can apply for a license from regulatory authorities (like the FDA) to market for human use.
Seema says: "More than 100 research teams around the world are working on different vaccines to prevent COVID-19 in an effort that is unprecedented in scale and speed. Hopes of a vaccine, or possibly a number of vaccine options, becoming available by 2021 have raised hopes about ending the pandemic and returning to some kind of normality. Explaining the vaccine development stages, including a break down of the clinical stage where human trials occur in at least three phases, can help set expectations about the feasibility of a COVID-19 vaccine being ready within months, instead of the usual years or decades. Accurate reporting on vaccines can help to counter false anti-vaccine narratives which have sparked outbreaks of diseases such as measles and whooping cough and could threaten future COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. According to a recent poll, 20 percent of Americans say they would not get vaccinated if a COVID-19 vaccine were available, and more than 1 in 4 said they were unsure about receiving a future COVID-19 vaccine."
What does the scientific literature say about using hydroxychloroquine to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19?
From the COVID-19 Expert Database: Ongoing clinical trials are testing how safe and effective chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are as treatments for COVID-19. So far, clinical trials and scientific analyses have not produced high quality evidence showing efficacy of these medications as a treatment, and some studies have even reported higher rates of adverse events (including cardiac issues) in hospitalized patients treated with hydroxychloroquine. As things stand, hydroxychloroquine is not a recognized prevention, treatment or cure for COVID-19.
Seema says: "Some countries are including hydroxychloroquine in treatment protocols for COVID-19, against the World Health Organization's guidance. The U.S. President is reportedly taking the drug to prevent infection. A new study of 96.032 patients in 6 continents found hydroxychloroquine was associated with heart arrhythmias and decreased survival. All three of these occurrences made the news the same week, presenting the public with contradictory and alarming information about the drug, its effectiveness, and its side effects. These conflicting messages have multiple effects, including eroding public trust in science and the scientific process. These reports potentially influence people to stockpile the medicine. In the U.S., it has been reported that people, including doctors, are stockpiling hydroxychloroquine with the belief that it might prevent or treat COVID-19. Meanwhile, people with conditions such as lupus and some types of arthritis who rely on the drug - because it is proven to treat their illness - have struggled to fill prescriptions. Fact-checking and offering context and the most uptodate information on these contradictory messages can potentially prevent stockpiling and off-label use of a medicine that is not proven to prevent or treat COVID-19, while preserving existing supplies for those patients who rely on the medicine for their well-being."
Is there any relationship between the use of antibiotics and treatment of COVID-19?
From the COVID-19 Expert Database: Antibiotics are not used to treat or cure COVID-19, but they can treat bacterial infections that can happen as a result of complications from the COVID-19 virus. Viruses and bacterial infections cause different types of illnesses, and antibiotics are only effective in treating bacterial infections, not viruses like COVID-19. Antibiotics should not be taken as a way to prevent or treat COVID-19 and they should not be taken unless prescribed by a doctor. Sometimes, antibiotics might be used in patients with COVID-19 but only to treat secondary bacterial infections.
Seema says: "Antibiotics do not work against viruses such as the new coronavirus and work only against bacterial infections. But reports of COVID-19 patients receiving antibiotics may have caused confusion because these reports excluded vital context. Viral infections such as the flu and coronavirus can weaken a person's defenses against other bugs. That means a person with COVID-19 pneumonia is vulnerable to a secondary pneumonia caused by bacteria. In these cases, patients with both a viral pneumonia and a bacterial pneumonia will receive antibiotics specifically to treat the bacterial infection. In addition, recent studies of COVID-19 treatments have included treating patients with antibiotics, sometimes combining antibiotics with hydroxychloroquine, causing further confusion about the utility of these drugs and posing the question: if antibiotics kill bacteria, why are they being tested as a potential treament for COVID-19? Reiterating the findings of these studies - that antibiotics and hydroxychloroquine do not prevent or treat COVID-19 - can help clarify that these medicines do not work against COVID-19."
Are these highlights helpful to your fact-checking, reporting or even your general understanding of the science surrounding the pandemic? If so, get in touch with us at health@meedan.com to learn more about how you can get our full database of answers from experts.