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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 21 - Resolution Denouncing COVID-19 Misinformation City Manager Office www.santa-ana.org/cm Item # 21 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report October 19, 2021 TOPIC: Resolution Denouncing COVID-19 Misinformation AGENDA TITLE: Resolution Denouncing COVID-19 Misinformation and its Detrimental Effects on Public Health RECOMMENDED ACTION Adopt a resolution denouncing COVID-19 misinformation and declaring the detrimental effects that COVID-19 misinformation has on public health. DISCUSSION The Coronavirus (“SARS-CoV-2” or “COVID-19”) was first reported in December 2019 and was declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Soon thereafter, in-person activities ceased and business and government operations shut down to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. As of October 12, 2021, the total worldwide COVID-19 cases have surpassed 237 million, with the worldwide death total exceeding 4.8 million. As public health and safety measures were put into place and governments began allowing in-person activities, work was simultaneously being done on a worldwide collaborative effort to create a vaccine to combat COVID-19. On December 11, 2020, the COVID-19 vaccine created by Pfizer-BioNTech was granted an emergency use authorization (“EUA”) to be administered to individuals 16 years of age or older. EUAs are used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during public health emergencies to provide access to medical products that may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating a disease, provided that the FDA determines that the known and potential benefits of a product, when used to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease, outweigh the known and potential risks of the products. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first to receive this EUA authorization, with the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines following shortly thereafter. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was fully approved by the FDA on August 23, 2021 and is currently the only vaccine to receive that approval. It is important that all eligible individuals receive the COVID-19 vaccine to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Resolution Denouncing COVID-19 Misinformation October 19, 2021 Page 2 2 1 6 3 As of October 12, 2021, 182 million residents in the United States are fully vaccinated, which equates to 55.6 percent of the total U.S. population. Public health data shows that although there was an all-time high vaccination distribution rate in mid-April 2021, the number of vaccines administered since has continuously declined. The lack of increase in the vaccination rate for the U.S. population may stem from “health misinformation” regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine. The U.S. Surgeon General defines health misinformation as “information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence at the time.” Combating health misinformation has been a pressing issue for government agencies, particularly surrounding the topic of the COVID-19 vaccine. Individuals may prefer to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine because of rumors and misconceptions about the vaccines that they have found through social media, among other platforms. Research has shown that being exposed to information regarding COVID-19 on social media has shown a higher susceptibility to misinformation about the virus and vaccine in places such as Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S. To add to this exposure to health misinformation, scholars at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health note how members of the public have difficulty identifying trusted sources in order to fact-check messages they encounter, and this is further supplemented by these same people not trusting governmental websites as a verification source once exposed to health misinformation. Government agencies, including local governments such as the City of Santa Ana, have an interest in ensuring the health and safety of their residents by combating health misinformation— even more so during a global pandemic. Resolution Denouncing COVID-19 Misinformation At the request of Mayor Sarmiento, staff has prepared a resolution denouncing COVID- 19 health misinformation and declaring its detrimental effects that health misinformation has on public health. The resolution, if adopted, would commit the City to the following: 1. The City will use all appropriate resources to combat the sharing of COVID-19 misinformation, such as by sharing scientifically-based factual information only about COVID-19. 2. The City will use digital literacy education to teach residents how to identify misinformation. 3. The City will prepare a written letter to the County of Orange Board of Supervisors to request that they similarly commit to combating health misinformation to curb the spread of falsehoods that threaten the health and safety of Orange County residents. 4. The City will assist the Orange County Health Care Agency to disseminate accurate information about COVID-19 and the vaccine. The resolution (Exhibit 1) is attached for consideration by the City Council. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT There is no environmental impact associated with this action. Resolution Denouncing COVID-19 Misinformation October 19, 2021 Page 3 2 1 6 3 FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. EXHIBIT(S) 1. Resolution Submitted By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager Approved By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager Resolution No. 2021-XXX Page 1 of 3 RESOLUTION NO. 2021-XXX A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DENOUNCING COVID-19 MISINFORMATION AND DECLARING ITS DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS ON PUBLIC HEALTH WHEREAS, COVID-19 is a dangerous, contagious disease affecting all age groups, known to be caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that is transmitted predominately by inhalation of respiratory droplets generated when people cough, sneeze, sing, talk, or breath; and WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in 49,142 cases and resulted in 911 deaths in Santa Ana as of October 12, 2021; and WHEREAS, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2020; and WHEREAS, the spread of COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on our health and safety, our regional economy, our communities of color, and the educational development of our children; and WHEREAS, viruses constantly change through mutation and new variants of a virus are expected to occur. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Delta variant of the Coronavirus is more than twice as contagious as previous variants, and data suggests that the Delta variant may cause more severe illness in unvaccinated individuals; and WHEREAS, all COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the United States are proven to be effective in reducing COVID-19 transmission and significantly decreasing severe disease, hospitalization, or death due to COVID-19, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval of the Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older; and WHEREAS, health misinformation has significantly undermined public health efforts and has prolonged the COVID-19 pandemic, endangering the health and safety of all Santa Ana residents; and WHEREAS, on July 15, 2021, the United States Surgeon General issued an advisory describing the urgent threat posed by the rise of false information around COVID-19; and WHEREAS, there is misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines being shared, including claims that the vaccines contain microchips, cause magnetism, can give someone COVID-19, negatively impact fertility, alter DNA, constitute gene therapy, Resolution No. 2021-XXX Page 2 of 3 trigger a positive COVID-19 test result, and affect menstrual cycles of nearby people. All of these claims have been disproven. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines and declares as follows: A. The City of Santa Ana denounces COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and declares that it is detrimental to public health. B. The City of Santa Ana intends to use all appropriate resources to combat the sharing of misinformation of COVID-19, including using digital communications tools such as the City’s official website and social media accounts to share COVID-19 factual-based information only. C. The City of Santa Ana will improve efforts in expanding the education of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and importance through the use of digital literacy education to show the public how to identify online tactics and commonly used approaches in the spreading of health misinformation. D. The City Santa Ana will prepare a written letter to the County of Orange Board of Supervisors to request that commit to combating health misinformation to curb the spread of falsehoods that threaten the health and safety of Orange County residents. E. The City of Santa Ana will use any and all available resources to assist the County of Orange Health Care Agency in disseminating accurate, fact-based information on COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine. Section 2. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by City Council and the Clerk of Council shall attest to and certify the vote adopting this resolution. ADOPTED this 19th day of October, 2021. ___________________________ Vicente Sarmiento Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: Sonia R. Carvalho, City Attorney Resolution No. 2021-XXX Page 3 of 3 By:_______________________ Laura A. Rossini Chief Assistant City Attorney AYES: Councilmembers NOES: Councilmembers ABSTAIN: Councilmembers NOT PRESENT: Councilmembers CERTIFICATION OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY I, DAISY GOMEZ, Clerk of the Council, do hereby attest to and certify the attached Resolution No. 2021-XXX to be the original resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana on October 19, 2021. Date: ______________________ ________________________________ Daisy Gomez Clerk of the Council City of Santa Ana