“ There is this vicious circle of ‘ communicating uncertainty leads to public distrust ,’” Escandón says . “ But there is actually evidence from science communication and psychology that this is untrue . Acknowledging uncertainty is both helpful and morally correct . If we don ’ t know something , people should know it , we just shouldn ’ t lie or guess . If we are taking indirect evidence or basing our claims on other viruses , for instance , we should say that . We should use more often the terms ‘ can ,’ ‘ likely ,’ ‘ may ,’ ‘ it ’ s possible ,’ ‘ it ’ s probable ,’ ‘ it would be rare ,’ ‘ there exists the risk that ,’ etc . But many instead of those , when evidence is insufficient , inappropriate , or just non-existent , say ‘ This will ,’ ‘ That won ’ t ,’ ‘ Be sure that ,’ ‘ There is no possibility that ,’ ‘ It cannot ,’ etc . These terms , of course , are quite valid and necessary with some well-established facts , but they are often overused . Fears to communicate uncertainty are founded on a misunderstanding of how politics and policy work . And I think this is unfortunately pervasive in public health . This has been described in the past with many healthcare-related issues . But , again , this pandemic has made all these issues more visible .”
The crux is accurate messaging , he says , which includes acknowledging the limited utility of mask wearing as a single intervention and cautioning against it as a sufficient alternative to a multilayered use of other NPIs , including physical distancing , ventilation , and limiting time in crowded spaces . “ The main arguments should be based on scientific evidence rather than on moralistic stances and virtue signaling . It is monumentally frustrating that academics both supporting masks and calling for well-crafted messages , nuanced ( not universal ) guidance , and further evidence have been misrepresented as anti-mask and accused of flagrant disregard for human lives by some universal masking advocates . The palpable sense of urgency in the COVID-19 pandemic requires a dispassionate discussion and weighing of benefits , risks , and uncertainties along with swift data-driven decision-making that accounts for the cases for and against public health interventions .”
SARS-CoV-2 Re-infection Versus No Re-infection
The sixth false dichotomy relates to the debate over the possibility of continual cycles of re-infection .
As Escandón , et al . ( 2021 ) explain , “ The debate around SARS-CoV-2 reinfection has two opposing views : infection and recovery do not confer immunity , which results in the potential
Tackling the Effects of the ‘ Infodemic ’
Navigating the tidal wave of studies which the pandemic triggered is an ongoing challenge . As Kevin Escandón , MD , MSc , an HIV physician and researcher in the Department of Microbiology at Universidad del Valle in Colombia , and colleagues , observe , “ Scientists across disciplines , policymakers , and journalists continue to operate on ‘ Pandemic Standard Time ,’ struggling to meaningfully advance science , policy , and communication in real time with rapidly emerging data , while countering the unprecedented ‘ infodemic ,’ polarization , and politicization in pandemic response plans . The global community is not used to seeing rapidly emerging science and changing policy , and has therefore been desperate for immediate , unambiguous answers . Naturally , intolerance of uncertainty has driven some people to fill this void with deceptive narratives .”
Escandón , et al . ( 2020 ) continue , “ Misinformation and disinformation come in endless guises and spread via different mechanisms , including campaigns of persistent inaccurate beliefs and falsehoods , deceptive messages , and engagement echo chambers . The pandemic has brought a paper tsunami with widespread misinterpretation of both peer-reviewed research and preprints , press releases without scrutinizable data , sensationalized media reporting , and endless conspiracy theories . As a result , finding trustworthy sources of information and guidance on COVID-19 has been difficult for the public . Over the past months , logical fallacies and cognitive biases have relentlessly distracted from critical appraisal and transparent communication of the scientific evidence related to COVID-19 . Confirmation bias , availability bias , motivated reasoning , the Dunning-Kruger effect , black-or-white fallacy ( also known as false dilemma , false dichotomy , either / or fallacy , or false choice ), straw man fallacy , ad hominem fallacy , appeal to emotion , appeal to ignorance , and appeal to authority fallacies have all run rampant across social media .”
Healthcare Hygiene magazine spoke with Escandón about how several confounding factors exacerbate the infodemic .
HHM Journals have wrestled with bias and errors previously ; with the data tsunami you acknowledge , is there a connection relating to the fear of uncertainty , or commitment to an aspect of the science that could be disproved or contradicted ? Also , is there concern that journals are turning into vanity presses for key researchers ?
Kevin Escandón : Yes , I think the tsunami of misinformation is somewhat related to intolerance of uncertainty and also sticking to the unscientific principle of what is well-known and cannot be challenged ( in other words , dogmas ). It seems as if we were socio-culturally programmed ( through learning ) to avoid change and to overvalue the status quo . But getting out of this comfort zone is what drives our human progress . You know , scientific publishing is complex with many factors between scientists and publishers . Regardless , it is widely accepted that many journals ( of course predatory but also some top famous ones ) engage in publishing pieces based on perceived interest , likely impact , and novelty . As a senior and academic editor in two ID and public health journals that explicitly oppose policies involving decisions on those three aspects , I find this “ vanity ” problematic to truly advance science . Oftentimes , these top journals don ’ t get to publish content from diverse and
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