When the COVID-19 made its debut in January 2020 in the United States, people were already familiar with the term “fake news” from the 2016 election and as a favorite term from former President Donald J. Trump. Misinformation about the origins of the novel b-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), how it spread, how it came to the U.S., how to treat it, and regarding the vaccines. It is no wonder then, that 49% of people in the U.S. feel confident in their ability to fact-check news regarding COVID-19.
Sander van der Linden et al’ s article “Inoculating Against Fake News About COVID-19” asserts that misinformation of fake “cures,” such as gargling with lemon or salt water and injecting yourself with bleach to a fake conspiracy theory that the virus was bioengineered in a lab in Wuhan or that the 5G cellular network is causing or exacerbating symptoms of COVID-19.