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VOL. 8, NO. 11
COVID-19 PANDEMIC INITIATES ‘INFODEMIC’ 938 cases reported in the U.S., 118,326 infected globally; 4,291 dead, at least 32 in the U.S. as of March 11 Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
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n Monday, the stock markets were going in a downward spiral that could be the worst in a decade. Flights, cruises and travel in general are experiencing a major slump. If you’ve popped into a supermarket in the last week, you’d be hard pressed to find any bottled water for sale — unless of course you want some of that designer or “smart” water that costs an arm and a leg. Nevertheless, even those bottles are in short supply. It’s a curious case of coronavirus (COVID-19) confusion and fear — false evidence appearing real — that’s causing Americans to stockpile supplies of water, paper goods, food and sanitizers, to name a few. Concerned Americans hoarding supplies is causing many retailers to literally run out of product, leaving shelves empty. The virus is very real and can be deadly for high-risk older adults in nursing homes, etc. In fact in one nursing home as many as 18 residents died in Washington. However, much of this panic-inducing disinformation is disseminated on the internet. “Secret labs. Magic cures. Government plots. Despite efforts by social media companies to stop it, false information about the coronavirus is proliferating around the world,” according to The New York Times. The report in the Times continues: “The spread of false and malicious content about the coronavirus has been a stark reminder of the uphill battle fought by researchers and internet companies. Even when the companies are determined to protect the truth, they are often outgunned and outwitted by the internet’s liars and thieves. “There is so much inaccurate information about the virus, the W.H.O. has said it
Panic in the aisles at local markets. Retailers are having a hard time keeping bottled water in stock like this Ralph’s on Foothill Boulevard, in Arcadia. – Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
was confronting an ‘infodemic.’” Last week, there was a situation at a middle school in Monrovia where authorities were forced to do a “deep cleaning” after fears of a possible contamination link. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) cleared the school on Friday. The school district quickly reassured parents that there was no immediate risk, despite the unwelcomed attention from the media. DPH has confirmed 27 cases and one
death in Los Angeles County as of March 11. Additionally, DPH has announced that one case among these is presumed to be the second case of community transmission. What is COVID-19? According to the W.H.O. (World Health Organization), “Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe
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Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. “Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaSEE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PAGE 2
