The Infodemic — Cases soar in the Middle East and the unstoppable rise of vaccine diplomacy
Welcome. We are tracking how disinformation is shaping the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, from refugees in the Middle East to classroom disruptions in Poland, here are the latest narratives — both real and fake — that have grabbed our attention and deserve yours.
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A new study suggests that Covid-19 may have hit the emergency rooms of LA before Christmas last year. Examining patient records from that time, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles found an unexpected spike in respiratory infections. They believe these figures may indicate that the coronavirus was circulating globally well before it was first reported in Wuhan. Other U.S. researchers aren’t convinced, saying there is no evidence that the infections were in fact Covid-19. But Chinese state media has seized upon the study, citing it as evidence that the virus did not originate in the People’s Republic. “If true, that would shake up the current narrative,” the Beijing-owned China Daily stated.
Wherever it originated, Covid-19 is spiking around the world and the situation is especially grim across the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates reported 930 new cases Friday, the nation’s highest tally in four months. A Dubai department store has also been shut down after holding a flash sale, during which customers flouted coronavirus regulations While wealthier Gulf states will weather the storm, hospitals are being overwhelmed in Iraq and Lebanon, the first cases of Covid-19 have now been confirmed in Jordan’s camps for Syrian refugees and over 200 UN staff in Syria have been infected. This report states that Syria’s war-torn northern regions have experienced a whopping 1,000% increase in cases. "After nearly 10 years of war, the health system in the northeast was already incredibly weak – and the pandemic is going to push it beyond breaking point," Dr. Mohammed Abdalgadir of the International Rescue Committee told The New Arab.
School has started in Eastern Europe — and so have the classroom coronavirus rumors. On Ukrainian social media, parents are sharing posts claiming that the prolonged wearing of protective masks causes oxygen deprivation in children. One even provided a “life hack:” poking small holes in face coverings that are meant to shield the wearer from infection. In neighboring Poland, one father broke into his child’s classroom and ordered students to remove their masks because “coronavirus isn’t real.” Local police in the town of Koluszki had to remove him from the premises.