The province’s doctors are sounding the alarm about the amount of misinformation still being spread about COVID-19.
The Ontario Medical Association has released new data showing that more than 100,000 Ontarians are actively engaged in social media conversations about whether the pandemic is a hoax and whether they should get the vaccine.
About three-quarters of people taking part in those conversations are supporting or promoting the misinformation, while the others are questioning or trying to refute these allegations.
Association President Dr. Samantha Hill has a theory on why these conversations are still happening.
“Sometimes it’s easier to believe that there is a magical cure, or that this is a hoax or conspiracy, than it is to believe that frankly, real life is just that hard right now,” Hill says.
Hill says flagrant misinformation puts us all at risk, “We all have a responsibility to look at what we’re reading and what we’re sharing and consider the resources that went into it and what objective it plays before we share it, and that’s a really hard thing to do. I think most of us haven’t grown up with social media that way, and it’s going to take a little bit of time for us to switch how we think about social media.”
Hill says the best way to get the most correct and up-to-date information is by reaching out to your family doctor or local health unit.
