SARS-CoV-2 is a type of coronavirus discovered in December 2019 that has caused, in a few weeks, a pandemic that threatens global health systems, and that has forced containment measures that weaken the economy. The aim of the scientists is to develop as soon as possible a safe and effective vaccine and / or viral treatments to combat it, and thus stop its massive spread.
The nature of this virus, which contains only eight kilobytes of RNA genetic code contained in a capsule of lipids and proteins, makes it capable of rapidly infecting human cells since it has a protein with a high affinity to human receptors called ACE2, which contain from lung cells to cells of the intestine.
Little by little we are learning more information about this coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19, and information of a diverse nature circulates through social networks and the media. Fortunately, the information age makes it possible for us to democratize scientific knowledge. Of course, it is essential that it be done through official channels and reliable communicators. Otherwise, we run the risk of assuming false beliefs that, applied to our lives, can have very dangerous consequences.
The spread of fake news and conspiracy theories are an anthropological phenomenon: they are explained, on the one hand, by the population’s need to find answers; and, on the other, because of the attractiveness and morbidity of certain fatalistic hypotheses. Many false news that are spread is easily refuted using common sense. But others may pass for true information by offering a credible story (which is not true) or because they align with the biases or dogmatic ideas of those who listen to them and spread them. On the other hand, other informative ‘hoaxes’ come from a misinterpretation of the scientific literature, or from not putting the data in context. In order to obtain a good treatment of the information, there are communication professionals, who must be in charge of this work.
To ensure that we are dealing with reliable information, we can learn to differentiate some indications that should make us suspicious. These are the indications that we are facing false news:
- No sources in sight
- The sources are not official or they are not a scientific institution
- There is no contrast of facts or opinions
- A simplistic story is used to develop a complex question
- The content sounds too promising or, instead, too fatalistic
Next, we dismantle some of the most common myths, hoaxes, or fake news that circulate these days about the coronavirus.
