WEBVTT - Fighting the Misinformation Crisis

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson. It's day two hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and thirty since coronavirus was declared a global pandemic. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>main story the rapid spread of virus misinformation has created

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<v Speaker 1>twin crises for doctors, a pandemic and an infodemic. But first,

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<v Speaker 1>here's what happened in virus news today. A House panel

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<v Speaker 1>called the Trump Administration's response to the pandemic inefficient, ineffective,

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<v Speaker 1>and inequitable. The sixty nine page report released by the

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<v Speaker 1>House Select Subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis called the virus

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<v Speaker 1>an American fiasco. The subcommittee said the administration's response is

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<v Speaker 1>quote among the worst failures of leadership in American history.

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<v Speaker 1>The report said that relief programs for workers and small

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<v Speaker 1>businesses were weakened because the administration gave priority to bigger

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<v Speaker 1>companies and inadequate financial controls led to significant fraud, waste,

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<v Speaker 1>and abuse. The UK's drug regulator is speeding up reviews

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<v Speaker 1>of COVID nineteen vaccines that Fiser and Astra Zeneca are developing.

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<v Speaker 1>Britain hopes to approve the first successful shot as quickly

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<v Speaker 1>as possible. The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

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<v Speaker 1>started a review of the Fiser vaccine in recent weeks,

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<v Speaker 1>according to a person with knowledge of the situation. A

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<v Speaker 1>spokesman for Astra Zenica confirmed that the agency is also

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<v Speaker 1>conducting an expedited review of Astra's vaccine, which the company

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<v Speaker 1>is co developing with the University of Oxford. Finally, a

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<v Speaker 1>federal judge ruled against landlord groups who were seeking to

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<v Speaker 1>block the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National

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<v Speaker 1>moratorium on evictions due to the coronavirus pandemic in Atlanta,

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<v Speaker 1>U S District. Judge JP Booley said the public interest

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<v Speaker 1>in controlling the spread of COVID nineteen outweighed the landlord's

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<v Speaker 1>economic interest, saying their quote economic harm pales in comparison

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<v Speaker 1>to the significant loss of lives that could occur if

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<v Speaker 1>the order was blocked. And now for today's main story,

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<v Speaker 1>the coronavirus is both a medical problem and a public

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<v Speaker 1>health problem that's baked into its biology. But the pandemic

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<v Speaker 1>in the US has been exacerbated by another challenge of

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<v Speaker 1>our own, making, a pervasive atmosphere of distrust. That atmosphere

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<v Speaker 1>has let misinformation about the virus flourish. That misinformation is

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<v Speaker 1>often amplified by the man with the country's loudest megaphone,

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<v Speaker 1>President Donald Trump. I spoke to healthcare reporter John Tazzi

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<v Speaker 1>about how the information crisis has made practicing medicine in

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<v Speaker 1>a pandemic even more difficult. I was wondering if you

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<v Speaker 1>might just briefly sketch some of the misinformation or even

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<v Speaker 1>conspiracy theories that we've been seeing surrounding COVID nineteen. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I think there's a range of things, everything from you know,

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<v Speaker 1>people who believe that the virus is a hoax or

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<v Speaker 1>that it's entirely made up, to allegations that doctors or

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<v Speaker 1>hospitals are in free being the number of cases or

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<v Speaker 1>the number of deaths attributed to covid um, which we

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<v Speaker 1>haven't really seen evidence of, but it's a belief that's

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<v Speaker 1>out there too. You know, more kind of common misunderstandings

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<v Speaker 1>or just questions that people might not know, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>good information about, like whether you know, does wearing a

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<v Speaker 1>mask put you at risk of not getting enough oxygen?

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<v Speaker 1>Doctors say that's not a risk, that there's no reason

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<v Speaker 1>to not wear a mask, won't hurt your ability to breathe.

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<v Speaker 1>But you know, some people have that kind of misconception

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<v Speaker 1>as well. So it's really a gamut from very elaborate

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<v Speaker 1>conspiracies to more common misconceptions. One doctor I spoke to

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<v Speaker 1>said that, um, some of her patients were so afraid

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<v Speaker 1>of the coronavirus that they were deferring needed medical care,

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<v Speaker 1>which put their health at risk. Right, So that's, ah,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, that's maybe not the same type of misinformation

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<v Speaker 1>as we think of a conspiue racy saying the virus

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<v Speaker 1>is a hoax. But you know, if people aren't able

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<v Speaker 1>to kind of accurately gauge their own risk and are

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<v Speaker 1>you know, differring important care that they need because they're

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<v Speaker 1>afraid of catching COVID, you know, that can be a

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<v Speaker 1>sort of other aspect of misinformation. And is there one

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<v Speaker 1>particular source or how is this information or shall we

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<v Speaker 1>say misinformation spreading? It's a good question, and I think,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, it's sort of a you know, it's a

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<v Speaker 1>factor of the broader kind of information environment that we

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<v Speaker 1>all live in right now, right where there's a flood

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<v Speaker 1>of information from many sources, and the World Health Organization

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<v Speaker 1>actually identified this very early on before COVID nineteen was

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<v Speaker 1>even declared a pandemic. The w h O identified what

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<v Speaker 1>it called an infodemic UM. So the sort of flood

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<v Speaker 1>of information, both accurate and not that makes it hard

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<v Speaker 1>for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable information when

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<v Speaker 1>they need it. They said that February second, and since then,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I think we've just seen this proliferate on

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<v Speaker 1>social media, you know, from other sources, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's sort of the elephant in the room. But the

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<v Speaker 1>President of the United States UM has routinely and repeatedly

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<v Speaker 1>made false statements about COVID nineteen. And you know, one

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<v Speaker 1>analysis from Cornell University actually identified President Trump as the

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<v Speaker 1>largest source of misinformation about the virus. So you know,

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<v Speaker 1>when those messages get amplified in all sorts of ways

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<v Speaker 1>in the media, on television and social media, there's not

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<v Speaker 1>I think a single source. But we're in an environment

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<v Speaker 1>with high levels of distrust for all sorts of institutions,

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<v Speaker 1>and you know, and the media, UM extreme political polarization

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<v Speaker 1>days before an election in UM, and you know, the

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<v Speaker 1>science and public health advice and that has been kind

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<v Speaker 1>of wrapped up in that. I mean, is that part

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<v Speaker 1>and parcel of just how quickly in some ways all

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<v Speaker 1>this has come about in that because there was just

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<v Speaker 1>no information about COVID nineteen, and we've been, even from

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<v Speaker 1>a scientific perspective, trying to just find out more and more.

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<v Speaker 1>There has been understandably some false starts in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>developing therapeutics, developing medicines, theories about what might be successful

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<v Speaker 1>in treating COVID nineteen. Do you think that has lent

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<v Speaker 1>to this perspective perhaps by some that they just don't

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<v Speaker 1>know what information to trust. Yeah, I think that's I

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<v Speaker 1>think that's right. I mean, one interesting thing that someone

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<v Speaker 1>I interviewed, the head of the American Medical Association, actually

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned to me was that as we learn more about coronavirus,

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<v Speaker 1>the coronavirus and how it affects people, and how it

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<v Speaker 1>spreads and how to treat it. You know, as the

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<v Speaker 1>kind of world of scientific evidence proliferates, there's misinformation proliferating

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<v Speaker 1>for you know, each of those points. Right, So, as

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<v Speaker 1>we learn more about potential vaccines that are in development,

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<v Speaker 1>there's more misinformation about vaccines. As we learn more about

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<v Speaker 1>ways to keep it from spreading, misinformation proliferates around those

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<v Speaker 1>guidelines so you know, it is a really tough thing

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<v Speaker 1>I think for people in general. UM, this is a

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<v Speaker 1>new virus. We are learning, or at least in the

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<v Speaker 1>early days, we're learning in real time. Some recommendations change

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<v Speaker 1>based on things we learned, and that's how science works. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think it can make it really hard for people,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, even in good faith, trying to figure out

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<v Speaker 1>how to behave in an environment with a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>uncertainty and all of competing sources of information. The early

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<v Speaker 1>recommendations in the United States where that people shouldn't wear masks.

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<v Speaker 1>That was because there was a shortage of masks and

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<v Speaker 1>the policymakers were concerned that, you know, people buying up

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<v Speaker 1>surgical masks would make it harder for healthcare workers who

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<v Speaker 1>needed them. UM. But as we learned more about how

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<v Speaker 1>the virus could spread among people who had no symptoms, UM,

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<v Speaker 1>that was that was an important way that the virus spread,

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<v Speaker 1>the recommendations for face coverings came out. We're learning new

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<v Speaker 1>things and have to adapt to that, and but that

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<v Speaker 1>change can create I think an environment where people can

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<v Speaker 1>misunderstand things, or people who are deliberately trying to manipulate

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<v Speaker 1>information or behavior. UM. Have an opportunity to do that.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, as we anticipate the the availability and the

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<v Speaker 1>distribution of the a COVID nineteen vaccine, how do you

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<v Speaker 1>see that amount of distrust potentially affecting the success of

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<v Speaker 1>this vaccine In terms of impacting the risk to COVID nineteen.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it is a It is a big risk

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<v Speaker 1>that we will have a vaccine that works, that has

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<v Speaker 1>been uh, you know, proven in rigorous clinical trials, and

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<v Speaker 1>that a large chunk of the population will not want

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<v Speaker 1>to take it because they don't trust it or they

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<v Speaker 1>don't trust the authorities who have said that it is

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<v Speaker 1>authorized or safe to take. I think, you know, we're

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<v Speaker 1>going to be having that conversation. Um, you know, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>in a few months. I think the President suggested that

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<v Speaker 1>a vaccine would be ready sooner than his scientific advisors said.

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<v Speaker 1>There was a lot of suspicion and allegations that there were,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, efforts to accelerate a vaccine for political purposes

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<v Speaker 1>and to have something authorized before the election. It seems

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<v Speaker 1>like that's not going to happen now. But and then

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<v Speaker 1>on the you know, the response of some Democratic governors

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<v Speaker 1>has been to say that they want to independently have

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<v Speaker 1>their states vet a vaccine that's approved, you know, even

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<v Speaker 1>after a Food and Drug Administration authorization. So you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's unprecedented and it's pretty dangerous territory in

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<v Speaker 1>some ways. UM. And you know, the data from polling

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<v Speaker 1>Gamma polls show that the number of the percentage of

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<v Speaker 1>people who said they'd be willing to take an FDA

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<v Speaker 1>approved vaccine has declined substantially since the summer. Um. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>that will be reversed, but it's a it's a concern

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<v Speaker 1>that doctors expressed to me that you know, all this

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<v Speaker 1>work and all this really tremendous scientific enterprise to get

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<v Speaker 1>to a shot in record time, UM, you know, will

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<v Speaker 1>be diminished if people don't take it. And and that's

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<v Speaker 1>you know, that's not a question of science. That's a

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<v Speaker 1>question of human behavior and trust and kind of where

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<v Speaker 1>we are as a society. And you know, we'll find

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<v Speaker 1>out more about that in the months ahead. And that

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<v Speaker 1>was John Tozzi And that's it for our show today.

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<v Speaker 1>For coverage of the outbreak from one and twenty bureaus

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<v Speaker 1>around the world, visit Bloomberg dot com slash coronavirus and

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<v Speaker 1>if you like the show, Please leave us a review

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<v Speaker 1>best way to help more listeners find our global reporting.

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<v Speaker 1>The Prognosis Daily edition is produced by top foreheads Jordan's Gospore,

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<v Speaker 1>Magnus Henrickson, and me Laura Carlson. Today's main story was

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<v Speaker 1>reported by John Tozzi. Original music by Leo Sidrin. Our

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<v Speaker 1>editors are Rick Shine and Francesco Levi. Francesco Levi is

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg's head of podcasts. Thanks for listening. H