The Infodemic: Fake images in Ecuador; predictions in India too good to be true; Armenia runs out of hospital beds
Welcome back, and a very special welcome to all our new subscribers. We are tracking how global disinformation is shaping the world that is emerging from the lockdown.
Below are a few narratives — both real and fake — that have grabbed our attention and deserve yours.
While Covid-19 cases in India hit a new record with nearly 10,000 confirmed in just the past 24 hours, the Indian health ministry put out a document filled with rosy predictions. The paper, published in an epidemiological journal by two Indian public health officials, was picked up widely by the nation’s media, with many headlines suggesting the country’s epidemic will end by mid-September. Problem is, it is riddled with errors and possibly even plagiarized, according to this forensic takedown by The Wire Science. This is in keeping with a trend for the Indian Covid response, according to writer Vasudevan Mukunth: “These flaws only highlight the low bar of research and evidence government officials have accepted in the last few months to draft policies that affect millions.”
The coronavirus blame game between China and the United States turned into a spat about vaccines this weekend. On Sunday, Republican Senator Rick Scott said that China is trying to undermine U.S. efforts to develop a vaccine and that the intelligence community has “provided information” about the alleged sabotage. In response, the Beijing-based Global Times fired back, saying that politicians like Scott “seem to ignore China’s repeated and consistent stance on making the vaccine a global public good.”