"We continue the efforts to track and handle hoaxes related to COVID-19, and we are also cooperating with many parties, including social media platforms. However, it is undeniable that the role of the community is still needed so that hoaxes can immediately be stemmed," he said in a press release quoted on Thursday.
After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of disinformation, hoaxes, and false information related to COVID-19 remains a concern that needs to be monitored.
Even though the public understanding of COVID-19 issues is improving, the number of hoaxes and their distributions continue to rise and can cause misunderstandings among people.
The minister noted that in the period of January 23, 2020, to February 23, 2022, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics has found 2,125 COVID-19-related hoaxes, with a total number of distributions reaching 5,573 distributions on various social media.
"Most of the distribution of hoaxes takes place on Facebook, then other social media. We will continue to follow this up," he said.
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As for hoaxes related to the COVID-19 vaccine, 465 hoaxes were found, reaching 2,650 distributions, he added.
According to the minister, hoaxes that continue to spread can hamper the handling of COVID-19 in the country.
In line with the government's efforts to prevent hoaxes from spreading, the community is expected to study information and carefully access it from reliable sources.
"Let us support the handling of the pandemic, including anticipating the third wave, by fighting and not spreading false news about COVID-19. This requires everyone's participation," Plate noted.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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