COVID misinformation flooding social media

[Huntn]

Some of the most harmful misinformation comes from people who, superficially at least, appear to be credible sources. Layer that on top of legitimate considerable disagreement in the medical/scientific communities, and it's a mess.

A large part of the problem is that many people will believe a lie that is repeated often enough because they don't think critically, as we've seen in the political arena.

What kind of disagreement?

 

[Roller]

What kind of disagreement?

In general, there is rarely universal consensus between experts in any area of medicine, and there is often a wide range of opinion. This has multiple causes, including discrepant results from scientific studies and individual biases. It's something I often encounter in my own subject area of expertise. With COVID-19, even people with a great deal of relevant experience and credibility haven't always agreed about the optimum strategies for vaccination or testing, for example. Over time, opinions tend to converge as more evidence comes to light, but that may take years or even decades.