A ‘new COVID-19’ doesn’t exist: De-bunking myths about the next pandemic

The world turned upside down in 2020, and some might argue it has not exactly returned to its pre-pandemic form; instead, it has paved the way for a ‘new normal.’ This new world repeatedly looks back in awe and horror at what life had become under lockdowns, social distancing, and the dread of infection.

Years later, scientists, vaccine researchers and consumers of mass media are struck with newer questions about the next pandemic. But is there a new COVID-19 on the horizon? And should we be chasing it – out of fear, sensationalism or at all?

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While headlines are strife with outbreaks of new infections and as vaccine research gains momentum, does the world really need to harbor anxiety about the next big virus?

Post-pandemic misinformation

Misinformation became widely prevalent during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. When the stakes were high, both social media posts and WhatsApp forwards continued to spread misinformation about preventions and cures for the viral infection.

Many with social influence also initiated precarious online discussions on vaccinations and social distancing, making it difficult for the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health actors to effectively help people.

Misinformation online has the capacity to travel “further, faster and sometimes deeper than the truth,” WHO spokesperson Carla Drysdale told Al Arabiya English.

Given that falsehoods on social media are 70 percent more likely to get shared in comparison to accurate news, she added, the WHO is collaborating with tech companies to mitigate the problem.

Tackling the problem

According to the spokesperson, the global health body works with social media policy departments to ensure company policy and guidelines for content providers are fit for purpose.

WHO worked with YouTube to improve their COVID-19 Misinformation Policy and provide guidelines for content providers to ensure no medical misinformation related to the virus is shared through their platform.

“Policy updates such as this have led to the removal of 850,000 YouTube videos related to harmful or misleading COVID-19 misinformation from February 2020 to January 2021,” Drysdale added.

Additionally, she said WHO works with YouTube, Google, Facebook and several other partners such as NewsGuard to obtain industry-leading insights that help identify burgeoning misinformation and subsequently allows WHO to target science-based health information where it is most necessary.

“Social media platforms have also granted WHO access to fast-track reporting systems, which allows us to flag misinformation on their platforms, speeding up the reporting and removal of content that breaks policy,” the organization said.

Pandemic agreement

While experts say predicting the next pandemic is difficult, they emphasize that preparedness is key.
With that, the WHO shared its optimism on the world’s first Pandemic Agreement.

“A pandemic can happen at any time which is why we need and now have a historic Pandemic Agreement, which will make the world safer from future pandemics,” said the spokesperson.

The goals of the treaty are to make the world safer and more equitable in response to future pandemics.

It sets out principles, approaches and tools for better international coordination in order to strengthen the global health architecture for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

“This includes through the equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics,” the WHO shared.

Meanwhile, the WHO said it is also supporting countries to increase their capacities through the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Framework, which includes their capacities in genomic surveillance.

“Every day, we scan the world for public health threats through the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources platform,” added Drysdale.

Reeling out of the COVID-19 hangover

On one hand, news stories about human metapneumovirus (HMPV), swine flu (H1N1) and Avian Influenza (bird flu) are resurfacing despite having been discovered years ago.

On the other, public health agencies note that international cooperation and effective preparedness remain central to managing future outbreaks.

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