scholarly journals How doctors on social media can provide valid health information on novel coronavirus (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorthe Furstrand ◽  
Andreas Pihl ◽  
Elif Bayram Orbe ◽  
Natasja Kingod ◽  
Jens Søndergaard
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Healthcare Professional ◽  
Health Information ◽  
The Novel ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Valid Knowledge ◽  
Information Stream ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

UNSTRUCTURED In the wake of COVID-19, the information stream has overflowed with a mixture of valid knowledge, misinformation and constantly changing guidelines. The need for help in navigating what is trustworthy health information is great and the official channels are struggling to keep up. As a consequence we created a Facebook group where volunteer doctors would answer questions from laymen about the novel coronavirus. There is not much precedence in healthcare professional driven Facebook groups and the framework was thus invented on the go. We ended up with an approach without room for debate to keep the group calm, trustworthy and safe to enter for the inquirers. Substantial moderator effort was needed to ensure high quality and consistency through collaboration between the more than hundred doctors participating. In the end we were able to provide a much needed service to more than 34.000 people in Denmark in time of crisis.

scholarly journals Endangering the Endangered: Impact of fake Covid-19 Social Media Communications in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Mhute ◽  
Hugh Mangeya ◽  
Ernest Jakaza
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Human Species ◽  
The People ◽  
Media Communications ◽  
The Government ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Great Danger

The human species is in great danger of extinction due to the novel coronavirus that was first detected in China around December 2019. By March 2021, the world had witnessed over 116million cases, of which 36,223 are Zimbabwean. The disease that the coronavirus stimulates is quite fatal and has seen 2.57million lives succumbing to it, of which 1483 are Zimbabwean, by the same date. No cure has been discovered for it yet, though scientific researchers have already discovered several vaccines with varying efficacies. Employing a socio-pragmatic approach, the chapter explores the impact of fake covid-19 social media communications on efforts to minimize infections and fatalities in Zimbabwe, an already endangered country. It accomplishes this by qualitatively analyzing purposively sampled fake communications in circulation on social media as well as some of the utterances and behaviors people make in response to them. The chapter demonstrates the negative impact of the communications on international mitigating efforts and emphasizes the need for the government, media practitioners and social workers to always be watchful for such misleading communications and in every case to quickly counter their impact by availing correct information to the people.

scholarly journals Risk Communication in Asian Countries: COVID-19 Discourse on Twitter (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungkyu Park ◽  
Sungwon Han ◽  
Jeongwook Kim ◽  
Mir Majid Molaie ◽  
Hoang Dieu Vu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Natural Language Processing ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

BACKGROUND The novel coronavirus disease (hereafter COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. During this time, a plethora of information regarding COVID-19 containing both false information (misinformation) and accurate information circulated on social media. The World Health Organization has declared a need to fight not only the pandemic but also the infodemic (a portmanteau of information and pandemic). In this context, it is critical to analyze the quality and veracity of information shared on social media and the evolution of discussions on major topics regarding COVID-19. OBJECTIVE This research characterizes risk communication patterns by analyzing public discourse on the novel coronavirus in four Asian countries that suffered outbreaks of varying degrees of severity: South Korea, Iran, Vietnam, and India. METHODS We collect tweets on COVID-19 posted from the four Asian countries from the start of their respective COVID-19 outbreaks in January until March 2020. We consult with locals and utilize relevant keywords from the local languages, following each country's tweet conventions. We then utilize a natural language processing (NLP) method to learn topics in an unsupervised fashion automatically. Finally, we qualitatively label the extracted topics to comprehend their semantic meanings. RESULTS We find that the official phases of the epidemic, as announced by the governments of the studied countries, do not align well with the online attention paid to COVID-19. Motivated by this misalignment, we develop a new natural language processing method to identify the transitions in topic phases and compare the identified topics across the four Asian countries. We examine the time lag between social media attention and confirmed patient counts. We confirm an inverse relationship between the tweet count and topic diversity. CONCLUSIONS Through the current research, we observe similarities and differences in the social media discourse on the pandemic in different Asian countries. We observe that once the daily tweet count hits its peak, the successive tweet count trend tends to decrease for all countries. This phenomenon aligns with the dynamics of the issue-attention cycle, an existing construct from communication theory conceptualizing how an issue rises and falls from public attention. Little work has been performed to identify topics in online risk communication by collectively considering temporal tweet trends in different countries. In this regard, if a critical piece of misinformation can be detected at an early stage in one country, it can be reported to prevent the spread of misinformation in other countries. Therefore, this work can help social media services, social media communicators, journalists, policymakers, and medical professionals fight the infodemic on a global scale. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals The Effect of Nutrition in Promoting the Immune System Against Diseases as (COVID 19)

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-41
Author(s):  
Riyadh Thabit ◽  
Sarah A. Alselwi ◽  
Suha A. Alhag ◽  
Hebah H. M. Almothana ◽  
Fardous G. Alsoufi1 ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Virus Strain ◽  
Beta Carotene ◽  
The Novel ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Diet ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Healthy Immune System

A new virus strain spreading from person to person is the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Before you get sick, the diet's role in fostering a healthy immune system starts. Promoting a healthy immune system by eating a regular high-quality diet would make it quicker and easier to fend off disease. Immune function plays an important role in micronutrients and antioxidants, such as iron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamins A, E and C, and phytochemicals, including beta-carotene. A well-working immune system against diseases as COVID 19.

scholarly journals What types of COVID-19 conspiracies are populated by Twitter bots?

First Monday ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Ferrara
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Early Evidence ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

With people moving out of physical public spaces due to containment measures to tackle the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, online platforms become even more prominent tools to understand social discussion. Studying social media can be informative to assess how we are collectively coping with this unprecedented global crisis. However, social media platforms are also populated by bots, automated accounts that can amplify certain topics of discussion at the expense of others. In this paper, we study 43.3M English tweets about COVID-19 and provide early evidence of the use of bots to promote political conspiracies in the United States, in stark contrast with humans who focus on public health concerns.

scholarly journals Impact of CoronaVirus on The Life Status of Kurdish People Living in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

2020 ◽  
pp. 45-53
Author(s):  
Pary M. Azize ◽  
Chia H. Sadiq ◽  
Lavin Luqman Othman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Statistical Correlation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Statistical Point ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Self Protection

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is currently one of the most common causing concerns in the medical community. The aim of this study is to carry out the effect of coronavirus on life status among Kurdish people in Kurdistan region. An online form (questionnaire) was used to collect the data among the researchers’ social media users, especially Facebook as the main platform. 643 participated in the study and filled out the form; however, 510 forms were accepted in terms of a statistical point of view. All statistical computations are enhanced using statistical method (SPSS 21). The data was coded, tabulated, and presented in a descriptive form. The finding shows that the majority of gender respondents were female aged mostly between 15-25 years old, majority were employed, 92.7%,   living in Sulaimani city, which was the highest rate among all locations. 50% of the participants identified that coronavirus was a threatening disease which was the highest. Followed by 22% who identified the disease as fatal. Social distancing and handwashing were the top choices for self-protection against the disease.  Family Connection and Relaxation were the two positive aspects of the virus, however, communication with others and safety. Were the two negative aspects of the virus stated by the respondents. 26.1% of respondents were distracted themselves from stress by connecting with loved ones through social media followed by reading. There is a significant positive statistical correlation between (Corona Virus and life status) which is (0.846) and that the significant value is (0.000). This illustrates that only 71.6% of factors affect (life status) in (Corona Virus). As a way of conclusion, coronavirus has had a significant impact on the people’s life status.

scholarly journals COVID-19 infections on international celebrities: self presentation and tweeting down pandemic awareness

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (05) ◽  
pp. A09
Author(s):  
Wishes Mututwa ◽  
Trust Matsilele
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Social Network Theory ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which was first reported in China's Wuhan province in December 2019 became a global pandemic within a few months. The exponential rise in COVID-19 cases globally was accompanied by a spike in misinformation about the pandemic, particularly on social media. Employing Social Network Theory as a lens, this qualitative study explores how selected international celebrities appropriated their Twitter micro-blogging pages to announce their COVID-19 infection to the world. The study finds that these celebrities can take advantage of their huge social media following to counter disinfodemic and promote awareness about health pandemics.

Social Media Marketing of Brands in the COVID-19 Pandemic

2022 ◽  
pp. 61-82
Author(s):  
Petek Tosun
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Brand Promotion ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Social Media Communication

This chapter explores the social media marketing communication of brands in the first days of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak within the theoretical framework provided by signaling theory. The social media content of six Turkish brands was examined by content analysis. The findings have shown that brands shared posts in four themes: brand promotion, brand's COVID-19 messages, product promotion, and special day posts. Brands integrated the COVID-19 agenda in their social media communication in two ways. First, they designed and shared posts that focused solely on the pandemic. These COVID-19-related posts constituted a separate category that did not include any direct relevance to the brands' promotion activities. Second, they added COVID-19-related points in their social media posts. This study provides valuable findings for marketing practitioners and academicians regarding social media communication in a global health crisis.

scholarly journals Balancing health privacy, health information exchange, and research in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 963-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Lenert ◽  
Brooke Yeager McSwain
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Health Information Exchange ◽  
Systems Of Care ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Remote Testing ◽  
Specimen Collection ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract The novel coronavirus disease 2019 infection poses serious challenges to the healthcare system that are being addressed through the creation of new unique and advanced systems of care with disjointed care processes (eg, telehealth screening, drive-through specimen collection, remote testing, telehealth management). However, our current regulations on the flows of information for clinical care and research are antiquated and often conflict at the state and federal levels. We discuss proposed changes to privacy regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act designed to let health information seamlessly and frictionlessly flow among the health entities that need to collaborate on treatment of patients and, also, allow it to flow to researchers trying to understand how to limit its impacts.

scholarly journals Rise and fall of the global conversation and shifting sentiments during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangliang Zhang ◽  
Qiang Yang ◽  
Somayah Albaradei ◽  
Xiaoting Lyu ◽  
Hind Alamro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Language Models ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Machine Learning Classification ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Slow Decline ◽  
Economic Collapse ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Learning Language

AbstractSocial media (e.g., Twitter) has been an extremely popular tool for public health surveillance. The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the first pandemic experienced by a world connected through the internet. We analyzed 105+ million tweets collected between March 1 and May 15, 2020, and Weibo messages compiled between January 20 and May 15, 2020, covering six languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Italian, and Chinese) and represented an estimated 2.4 billion citizens worldwide. To examine fine-grained emotions during a pandemic, we built machine learning classification models based on deep learning language models to identify emotions in social media conversations about COVID-19, including positive expressions (optimistic, thankful, and empathetic), negative expressions (pessimistic, anxious, sad, annoyed, and denial), and a complicated expression, joking, which has not been explored before. Our analysis indicates a rapid increase and a slow decline in the volume of social media conversations regarding the pandemic in all six languages. The upsurge was triggered by a combination of economic collapse and confinement measures across the regions to which all the six languages belonged except for Chinese, where only the latter drove conversations. Tweets in all analyzed languages conveyed remarkably similar emotional states as the epidemic was elevated to pandemic status, including feelings dominated by a mixture of joking with anxious/pessimistic/annoyed as the volume of conversation surged and shifted to a general increase in positive states (optimistic, thankful, and empathetic), the strongest being expressed in Arabic tweets, as the pandemic came under control.

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