COVID-19 and misinformation: A parallel pandemic

Estimated read time: 5 minutes

In 2021, as we all entered the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new and some might say equally dangerous pandemic emerged: one of misinformation.

While social media and the digital landscape have made it easier than ever for people to connect and share information, internet accessibility can make it difficult to distinguish whether information is accurate and which sources are trustworthy. Opposing and often polarizing views emerged about the seriousness of COVID-19, misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines (and how some perceived their development as rushed and inadequately tested) and unproven treatments for the virus (such as Ivermectin). This led to a reluctance amongst some to be vaccinated against COVID-19, resulting in what many health experts have called a pandemic of the unvaccinated in 2021.

From celebrated to vilified

“To say that the past two years have been challenging would be a significant understatement.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, healthcare professionals were applauded for their dedication to providing quality patient care in difficult and unprecedented circumstances. But as the pandemic dragged on, case numbers continued to climb and more variants emerged. Many Albertans grew tired of public health restrictions, and some took out their frustrations on the same healthcare workers they once celebrated. Increasingly more Albertans began putting their trust (and their health) in the hands of unverified, uncredible sources of information instead of relying on the evidence-based advice and guidance of their physicians. 

“To say that the past two years have been challenging would be a significant understatement,” says Dr. Everett Zdrill, a family physician practising in Edson. “I have so many patients who trust me with their lives and take my advice on every other medical issue, but I tell them to get vaccinated [against COVID-19] and they hesitate or outright refuse, because of whatever layer of misinformation they’ve heard.”

As physicians like Dr. Zdrill know all too well, when it comes to something as serious as COVID-19, trusting the wrong information can have life-changing, even deadly, consequences.

“I’ve had so many conversations about COVID and the vaccine,” shares Dr. Zdrill. “I encourage my patients to take the pandemic seriously and get vaccinated, but a lot of them won’t, others have asked me to prescribe Ivermectin. Many have ended up hospitalized and some passed away. I’ve had to intubate a lot of our COVID patients and it’s so difficult for people’s families to see their loved ones like that.”

Unfortunately, in Dr. Zdrill’s experience, contracting COVID-19 or losing a loved one to the virus doesn’t necessarily result in one re-examining the misinformation they believe. “Many rationalize severe outcomes,” says Dr. Zdrill. “They explain it away as someone died with COVID, not of it. Instead of questioning their beliefs, they’ll often double down.”

According to Dr. Liam Ennis, a forensic psychologist based in Edmonton and an expert in behavioural science, this is not surprising.

“Humans are curious beings, which is a good thing,” says Dr. Ennis. “We live in an era of self-education, of ‘do your own research’. People want to understand things and how they work to feel like they have some influence and control over undesirable outcomes. The more we think we know, the better and more empowered we feel.

“The problem with that is there is a ton of misinformation out there,” explains Dr. Ennis. “It’s difficult for us to gather and process information in ways that are not compromised by our own biases, values and subjectivity.”

Challenging misinformation

In 2021, Alberta’s healthcare community struggled to keep up with the demands of the waves of the pandemic, and CPSA needed to do its part as a leader in health care to combat misinformation. CPSA established a team dedicated to answering questions from physicians and Albertans to provide information and facts from verified sources. CPSA’s governing Council published a letter to Albertans, encouraging the public to trust science, use reputable sources when researching facts and treat Alberta’s healthcare workers with respect. CPSA also developed and distributed resources about vaccination, emerging treatments and other COVID-related topics to support physicians in providing evidence-based care.

“With the internet being like a warehouse full of opinions that are all treated as equally valid, it’s easy to find an abundance of support for pre-existing views."

Part of a physician’s role is to correct misinformation and give advice and support based on their training and expertise, then allow patients to make their own decisions about their health. But when that neutrality conflicts with a patient’s point of view, it can be difficult to find common ground.

“Human beings tend to surround themselves with people who share their beliefs and will seek out experts who already agree with them,” says Dr. Ennis. “With the internet being like a warehouse full of opinions that are all treated as equally valid, it’s easy to find an abundance of support for pre-existing views."

Moving forward together

While there is no immediate end to the pandemic in sight, Alberta’s physicians have continued to do the work they trained for, providing the best patient care they can. But the toll of misinformation on Alberta’s healthcare professionals cannot be ignored.

“When our help is dismissed and our expertise is questioned, it’s hard not to take it personally and feel rejected by the community,” admits Dr. Zdrill. “I’ve been at the forefront of this pandemic and there’s been such a high emotional cost, it’s made me question the value of what I do. It’s been traumatic and I don’t think we’ve felt the full impact yet.

“But it’s good to talk about it. We can’t change everyone’s mind but hopefully, the more we talk about it, the more we’ll feel like we’re not alone.”

Dr. Liam Ennis

Dr. Everett Zdrill