The COVID-19 pandemic has been going on long enough that we know where much of the propaganda and misinformation about COVID-19 is coming from.
![Melissa Floyd says that “It’s not that you can’t find science that says there’s a potential benefit. It’s the fact that you can find science that says there isn’t… The fact that you can find science on [both sides] is enough to argue why there should not be mandates.”](https://i0.wp.com/vaxopedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/bob-sears-masks.png?resize=499%2C307&ssl=1)
It’s kind of becoming a mystery why folks still believe this stuff though…
Understanding COVID-19 Misinformation
Take the argument above on masks.
The fact that you can do some cherry picking to find an “expert” or paper that fits your belief or argument doesn’t mean that you are right!
The overwhelming consensus has shown that wearing a face mask or covering can help to decrease the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
Of course, they are wrong about a lot of other things besides face masks, including:
- COVID-19 mortality rates – however you want to calculate fatality rates or mortality rates, trying to make a case that COVID-19 isn’t that bad, know that as of mid-August, there have been nearly 170,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States and 775,000 deaths worldwide. Sure, it’s fortunate that so many cases are mild, because otherwise even more people would be dying!
- the asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2 – this definitely happens and many studies support it, especially people who are asymptomatic, but later develop symptoms (pre-symptomatic transmission). Not only did the WHO not admit that there was no real scientific evidence against asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2, they state that “given that infected people without symptoms can transmit the virus, it is also prudent to encourage the use of fabric face masks in public places where there is community transmission and where other prevention measures, such as physical distancing, are not possible!”
- mandatory COVID-19 vaccines – although a COVID-19 vaccine might be mandated in certain situations, like for work, school, or even travel, there will be no forced vaccination, just like we don’t force anyone else to get vaccinated and protected if they don’t want to. The other statements in these misinformation cards are also false – no one has said that the new COVID-19 vaccines will only provide protection for a few months.
With three strikes on the front of the card, do we really need to look at the back?
Here we go again…
- While it is certainly true that being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 is not a death sentence to most people, it can be if you are in a high risk group. And although it isn’t getting any attention at all, folks should know that over 90 children and teens have already died of COVID-19.
- Again, we know that symptom free people can indeed be a risk to others. The WHO states that “multiple studies have shown that people infect others before they themselves became ill, which is supported by available viral shedding data.” And if she is going to mention false positive test results, which are very rare, she should mention false negatives, which are more common.
- While we never did get vaccines for SARS or MERS, it wasn’t because they weren’t safe and had it nothing to do with unsuccessful attempts. These vaccines were made, but they were never fully developed. Unlike with COVID-19, there was no money to develop the SARS and MERS vaccines because few people were getting sick.
So now you know what they aren’t telling you on these COVID-19 misinformation cards.
Not surprisingly, these are the same folks who try to scare parents away from vaccinating and protecting their kids.
And while Melissa Floyd thinks it is “irrational and unethical” to force everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine with “inherent side effects,” she should consider the ethics of pushing misinformation and putting them at risk to get COVID-19.
More on COVID-19 Misinformation
- Follow These Social Media Doctors Fighting Medical Misinformation
- Choose to Stop Spreading Anti-Vaccine Propaganda
- What Do Anti-Maskers Have in Common With Anti-Vaxxers?
- Why There is Still So Much COVID-19 Confusion
- Why Do Some People Still Think Hydroxychloroquine Works for COVID-19?
- What to Know About Face Masks and COVID-19
- QAnon Vaccine Conspiracy Theories
- Who Are the Real COVID-19 Experts?
- What to Do if You Have Been Exposed to COVID-19
- What to Do if You Have Been Diagnosed with COVID-19
- More Questions to Help You Become a Vaccine Skeptic
- Ask 8 Questions Before You Skip a Vaccine
- AAP – Children and COVID-19: State-Level Data Report
- WHO – Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: implications for infection prevention precautions
- COVID-19 pandemic deniers and the antivaccine movement: An unholy alliance
- Doublespeak: A Dr. Bob Special
- Misinformation and disinformation about facemasks and COVID-19
- The role of children in transmission of SARS-CoV-2
- Children transmit SARS-CoV-2
- Misinformation and Morality: Encountering Fake-News Headlines Makes Them Seem Less Unethical to Publish and Share
- Problems of Misinformation
- Anti-masking groups draw from anti-vaccination playbook to spread misinformation
The best experts and infectious disease specialists are still ambivalent about masks. This has become highly politicized. The evidence is not there. And all evidence gathered during this pandemic has been seriously flawed, suffering from confounding. One of the worst outbreaks in Europe right now is in Spain, and they have the highest mask wearing rate. One of the worst in the US is in California, and they have one of the highest rates in the US. Then again, IL is doing okay, and so is NY. But that’s because they have substantial herd immunity, not because of masks. I think the reality is that masks have little impact. They may help around the margins, but they are certainly not worth all the political fighting, which I think is mainly a proxy war over the original divisive policy of lockdown.
If you think for just a few minutes beyond the simplistic YouTube & Facebook demonstrations, you can understand why masks may not help a lot. Because these videos show you how a mask blocks virus, but they don’t show you what happens over the next ten minutes while you stand there. They don’t show you that the virus makes its way around the mask and into the air anyway. The end result is that, mask or not, if you share space with infected people for a long time, you will get exposed.
Infectious disease experts worry that messaging on masks encourages people to take on more risky behavior, and we have evidence this has occurred. Three teachers in Arizona infected each other while teaching summer school remotely. They thought they could share the same room if they wore masks all day. This is bad. The same thing happened with the “6 foot rule” and the church choir in Washington.
I wear a mask, but I know it likely does not protect me that much and I need to avoid risky situations – sharing indoor space with strangers for a long time.
“The best experts and infectious disease specialists are still ambivalent about masks. ”
As the article said – if you cherry pick hard enough yes you can probably find someone somewhere with a different opinion , but the WHO (citing “The best experts and infectious disease specialists”) is emphatically clear , “The use of masks is part of a comprehensive package of the prevention and control measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including COVID-19”.
Dear author,
Overwhelming consensus does not make it right.
It boggles my mind that you can use this phrase mere seconds after condemning people for having an opinion. A consensus IS an opinion. There is little to no scientific proof that masks work, or don’t work. What we do know is that viruses cannot be stopped by a mere piece of fabric. And viruses cannot be stopped when the mask wearer doesn’t use their mask correctly. What we do know is that it is possible to make matters worse if you have bad mask habits, like adjusting it with your hand after it moves when you speak. What we do know is that the WHO and CDC say that masks “can” or “might” or “could possibly” help stop the spread.
The companies making and preparing a vaccine care about making money. If they wait too long, and natural herd immunity continues to kick in, they will lose billions of dollars of profit. They can’t let the happen. Am I wrong on this point? Please, anyone reading this, let me know if I am wrong.