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Resolution Denouncing COVID-19 Misinformation <br />October 19, 2021 <br />Page 2 <br />2 <br />1 <br />6 <br />3 <br />As of October 12, 2021, 182 million residents in the United States are fully vaccinated, <br />which equates to 55.6 percent of the total U.S. population. Public health data shows that <br />although there was an all-time high vaccination distribution rate in mid-April 2021, the <br />number of vaccines administered since has continuously declined. The lack of increase <br />in the vaccination rate for the U.S. population may stem from “health misinformation” <br />regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine. The U.S. Surgeon General defines health <br />misinformation as “information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the <br />best available evidence at the time.” <br />Combating health misinformation has been a pressing issue for government agencies, <br />particularly surrounding the topic of the COVID-19 vaccine. Individuals may prefer to <br />refuse the COVID-19 vaccine because of rumors and misconceptions about the vaccines <br />that they have found through social media, among other platforms. Research has shown <br />that being exposed to information regarding COVID-19 on social media has shown a <br />higher susceptibility to misinformation about the virus and vaccine in places such as <br />Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S. To add to this exposure to health misinformation, scholars <br />at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health note how members of the public <br />have difficulty identifying trusted sources in order to fact-check messages they encounter, <br />and this is further supplemented by these same people not trusting governmental <br />websites as a verification source once exposed to health misinformation. Government <br />agencies, including local governments such as the City of Santa Ana, have an interest in <br />ensuring the health and safety of their residents by combating health misinformation— <br />even more so during a global pandemic. <br />Resolution Denouncing COVID-19 Misinformation <br />At the request of Mayor Sarmiento, staff has prepared a resolution denouncing COVID- <br />19 health misinformation and declaring its detrimental effects that health misinformation <br />has on public health. The resolution, if adopted, would commit the City to the following: <br />1. The City will use all appropriate resources to combat the sharing of COVID-19 <br />misinformation, such as by sharing scientifically-based factual information only <br />about COVID-19. <br />2. The City will use digital literacy education to teach residents how to identify <br />misinformation. <br />3. The City will prepare a written letter to the County of Orange Board of <br />Supervisors to request that they similarly commit to combating health <br />misinformation to curb the spread of falsehoods that threaten the health and <br />safety of Orange County residents. <br />4. The City will assist the Orange County Health Care Agency to disseminate <br />accurate information about COVID-19 and the vaccine. <br />The resolution (Exhibit 1) is attached for consideration by the City Council. <br />ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT <br />There is no environmental impact associated with this action.