Dissemination in Social Media and Blogs of Public Health Information and Misinformation on Covid-19 Containment in Switzerland

Dissemination in Social Media and Blogs of Public Health Information and Misinformation on Covid-19 Containment in Switzerland

Blog Article

Future epidemics are perceived as inevitable.Dissemination of information can enhance awareness, serving as an initial stride towards fostering desired epidemic-controlling actions among the public.In this study, a qualitative content analysis of Covid-19- and Switzerland-related social media and blog contributions points at a limited adoption of public health key messages and a negative reputation of bempresas.com the informing authorities.The authorities are to a marginal extent the source of information and a controversial sentiment towards vaccination emerges.In addition, we find a large share of disseminated information that is not conducive to pandemic containment.

Within this, a substantial volume of misinformation emerges in statements on Covid-19-related issues.The misinformation consists primarily of unsubstantiated health consequences of the Covid-19 vaccination (both efficacy and side effects), and, less often, of trivialisation or denial of the pandemic.Furthermore, in a phase of political campaigning on a Covid-law referendum in Switzerland, social media contributors often portray click here pandemic containment as an undue, unlawful, or autocratic imposition on individual and collective freedom, and as a tool deployed for political repression.In addition, the pandemic or its containment are embedded in various conspiracies by users and containment measures are contested with religious, naturopathic or esoteric arguments.