The COVID-19 pandemic has gravely affected our societies and economies. It has been accompanied by an infodemic, an overabundance of information, including misinformation. Rapid amplification and dissemination of information and misinformation online, in a time when people are more socially distanced than ever before and relying on their phones to connect to the world, is adding a new concerning dimension to the infodemic.

If people act on false health information they hear or see, it can impact their health, and if enough people do not follow health guidance, it can prolong this pandemic. Until a vaccine or vaccines are widely available to the public and widely accepted by the public, we continue to be at risk of both the infodemic and the pandemic.

As our lives, communities, organizations and countries are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognize the critical need to act with fierce urgency in solidarity, unity and commitment to equity to mitigate this infodemic.