The Infodemic

An inside look at how the governments of Iran, Russia, India, Egypt, Brazil, India and the US used COVID as a pretense to undermine freedom The Infodemic lays bare the mechanisms of modern censorship and shows how they were used to undermine the response to the greatest global pandemic in a century. Beginning in China, the book charts the onslaught of COVID censorship through Iran, Russia, India, Egypt, Brazil, India and inside the Trump White House. Modern censors not only restrict the flow of information but also open the floodgates to overwhelm the public with lies and half truths. Increased surveillance in the name of public health, the collapse of public trust in institutions, and the demise of local news reporting, help governments hijack the flow of information and usurp power. The Infodemic shows how, under the cover of COVID, governments have undermined freedom and taken control. This new global political order may be the legacy of the disease.

What caused the Covid-19 pandemic, a natural spillover event or an accident in a Wuhan laboratory? Were the mitigation measures imposed by many governments - such as lockdowns and mask-wearing mandates - based on scientific evidence, or rather aimed at curtailing civil liberties and disrupting economic activities, under the secret maneuvering of a global cabal of politicians and financiers? And were Covid-19 vaccines effective in curbing the spread of the disease, or were they just a profitable scheme by big pharmaceutical companies? These questions and speculations, some legitimate, some dubious, have been swirling around the globe through social media, alternative information outlets, instant messaging apps, and mainstream media since the beginning of the pandemic, feeding the 'infodemic' - an overwhelming surge of information, misinformation, rumours and conspiracy theories which continue to linger in public and private discourse. With an original take on concepts and theories drawn from post-truth and disinformation studies, the book analyses the 'infodemic' through a series of global case studies. Framing the infodemic as a complex, multi-layered phenomenon with vast geopolitical implications, Gabriele Cosentino reveals the global competition for control in twenty-first century geopolitics between Western liberal democracies and non-Western autocracies, and above all between the United States and China.

The overview provide context to the infodemic management activities WHO established throughout 2020 and first quarter of 2021 and that are being further optimized and scaled up for future application during health emergencies: Listen to concerns; Communicate risk & distill science; Promote resilience to misinformation; Engage & empower communities.

Roland Benedikter and Karim Fathi describe the pluri-dimensional characteristics of the Coronavirus crisis and draw the pillars for a more “multi-resilient” Post-Corona world, including political recommendations on how to generate it.

This book examines the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the degree of inequality in wellbeing (income and wealth, health, access to health care, employment, and education) in a number of different countries around the globe. The effect of socioeconomic inequality within a country on the outcome of the pandemic is also considered. This book studies the differential effects of Covid based on location, age, income, education, gender, race/ethnicity, and immigrant status. Special attention is devoted to indigenous populations and those who are institutionalized. The short- and long-term effects of public policy developed to deal with the pandemic’s fallout are studied, as are the effects of the pandemic on innovations in health care systems and likely extensions of public policy instituted during the pandemic to alleviate unemployment, poverty, and income inequality.

God told me, “Build your immune system.” In that moment, I knew I was going to get the coronavirus. He had me in the palm of his hand all the way through it. I knew I would come out of it on the other side with an amazing story of the day-to-day struggles of living through and surviving the coronavirus. I want to share with everyone how he strengthened me to go through it and how, as a result, he brought me closer to him. Today I have no fear of death but only want to be with him. I want you to know that if by chance you get this evil virus, God will carry you through it; and you, too, will come out of it on the other side.

From Dr. Wang Zhou and his colleagues at the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention comes a must-have guide for preparing for an outbreak of the coronavirus virus (COVID-19). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US and the World Health Organization have declared the coronavirus a worldwide health emergency. The coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China. Now, from the medical experts there, comes the first authoritative, comprehensive guide to preparing for the ongoing epidemic (COVID-19). Written in plain language, here is information that will help readers and professionals understand the virus and protect themselves in the face of a possible outbreak. As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world—China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States—preventative measures such as controlling the source of infection, early detection of patients, and cutting off transmission are imperative. With 101 tips for individuals to prevent the spread of the virus, the information in this handbook could be lifesaving. The prevention tips include: Precautions for individuals and public places (handwashing, face masks, etc.) Strategies for detection and treatment of the disease An overview of the coronavirus and how it’s spread Basics about contagious diseases With the number of reported cases of COVID-19 growing daily, the information in this book will help you protect yourself and your loved ones!