While Twitter has announced that it no longer enforces its COVID misleading information policy, cases and hospitalizations are on the rise.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — As Twitter announced it would no longer enforce its policy targeting misleading COVID data, cases and hospitalizations are on the rise. COVID is the gift that helps keep on giving, given the presence of so many other variants,” said UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. “Misdata has a direct link to the deaths. ” Twitter’s resolution to avoid enforcement of its anti-bad COVID data policy was made last week, but only became known to users on Monday. This means that tweets will no longer be flagged if they involve misleading data similar to COVID-19. “Twitter is not the position to move into being informed about COVID or the COVID vaccine,” said Bela Matyas, Solano County Health Officer. “We have many official websites. ” Matyas said the county will continue to use Twitter as a communication tool to direct other people to the facts. fitness data on social media platform. Napa County said it has never used Twitter for public fitness outreach and has no plans to do so. Other Bay Area counties did not respond without delay. The tech company has in the past suspended thousands of accounts that spread lies and got rid of misleading posts. “It’s helping to have competing schools of thought,” Matyas said. “People will have to be sensible enough to distinguish fact from fiction. ” But with so much noise on Twitter, it can be hard to sift through and separate the smart from the bad. Chin-Hong said that by not enforcing the policy, there may be a buildup of mistrust in health and scientific data. “I’m very, very disappointed and a little scared,” he said. “If you don’t take an intervention like vaccines that can save lives, then you drive up the numbers. We still have over three hundred people dying a day. ” About 90% of the deaths right now are other people over the age of 65, Chin-Hong said. Health experts agree that as immunity wanes and holiday gatherings increase, the need for a vaccine or booster is critical. State knowledge shows that, as of Wednesday, another 3,700 people are hospitalized with the coronavirus in California. KTVU. Email him at brooks. jarosz@fox. com and stay with him on Facebook and Twitter @BrooksKTVU
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