The goal of HIFA is that every person should have access to the reliable healthcare information they need to protect their own health and the health of others, and is protected from misinformation. The HIFA remit includes the information that people give and receive from one another.
This survey finds more than 40% of Americans misled others about having COVID-19 and use of precautions
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-10-survey-americans-misled-covid-pre...
'Four of 10 Americans surveyed report that they were often less than truthful about whether they had COVID-19 and/or didn't comply with many of the disease's preventive measures during the height of the pandemic, according to a new nationwide study led in part by University of Utah Health scientists...
Some of the most common incidents were:
- Breaking quarantine rules
- Telling someone they were with, or were about to see, that they were taking more COVID-19 precautions than they actually were
- Not mentioning that they might have had, or knew that they had, COVID-19 when entering a doctor's office
- Telling someone they were vaccinated when they weren't
- Saying they weren't vaccinated when they actually were'
Most worringly, here are the reasons they gave:
'- I didn't think COVID-19 was real, or it was no big deal
- It's no one else's business
- I didn't feel sick
- I was following the advice of a celebrity or other public figure
- I couldn't miss work to stay home'
Does this resonate with your experience, your country? What can be done to promote increased public health responsibility among the general public?
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Global Coordinator HIFA, www.hifa.org neil@hifa.org
Global Healthcare Information Network: Working in official relations with WHO
