INTRODUCTION

Is COVID-19 a myth? Is the government lying about the facts? Should I wear a mask? Can I cure COVID-19 through herbs? The above questions are only but a few concerns that the youth had regarding this invasive disease. These are questions we could see on the internet where everybody could chip in with their own theory and concerns.

Social media has become the new hub of infotainment and debates on a range of issues. The speed of information dissemination is appealing, although it can turn into a nightmare when the information that is widely spread is not factual (Rathinaswamy et al., 2020).

Ironically, people tend to over sensualize information in an attempt to make it viral, overlooking the result of these actions. There is great danger in miscommunication because it leads to arrogance and ignorance, which in this case mean more exposure to Covid 19. People are hungry for information, and with the ubiquity in social media, contesting information is making the work of health workers more difficult. Existing falsehoods involved the nature of the disease, its prevalence, and cures, which were desperate attempts to ignore the glaring pandemic. The world health Organization appealed to organizations and volunteers to ensure that people get information that is true and accurate to avoid any chaos.

Participants’ feedback

Combating misinformation has helped families in various areas manage their activities without risking their lives. The discussion on the place of Africa in light of the global situation enlightened young people on the grappling issues facing the country and other economies. The conversation helped the youth integrate the lessons learned on the Ebola pandemic and emergency services to Covid 19 responses. The speakers noted that websites such as WHO and respective government ministries were some of the credible information sources about Covid 19. The lessons that the youth have learned in this Covid 19 period on communication are likely to help in analyzing different scenarios in the future.

Recommendations

After the depth of information discussed on the topic of information and disinformation, the following recommendations were made to ensure information and disinformation was nipped from the base.

• People should be clear on the information they consume and disseminate.

• People should be vigilant in calling out false information to prevent a dis-empowering cycle.

• Reliable sources of information should be the reference point of all information shared.

• The only way to defeat COVID-19 is to embrace all the preventative measures by the government.