Review

. 2021 May;21(2):161-165.

doi: 10.1007/s10238-020-00680-x. Epub 2021 Jan 8.

COVID-19: time to flatten the infodemic curve

Anastasios Tentolouris¹, Ioannis Ntanasis-Stathopoulos², Panayotis K Vlachakis², Diamantis I Tsilimigras³, Maria Gavriatopoulou⁴, Meletios A Dimopoulos²

Affiliations

¹ First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
² Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Alexandra General Hospital, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, 11528, Athens, Greece.
³ Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁴ Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Alexandra General Hospital, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, 11528, Athens, Greece. mariagabria@gmail.com.

PMID: 33417084
PMCID: PMC7790724
DOI: 10.1007/s10238-020-00680-x

Review

COVID-19: time to flatten the infodemic curve

Anastasios Tentolouris et al. Clin Exp Med. 2021 May.

. 2021 May;21(2):161-165.

doi: 10.1007/s10238-020-00680-x. Epub 2021 Jan 8.

Authors

Anastasios Tentolouris¹, Ioannis Ntanasis-Stathopoulos², Panayotis K Vlachakis², Diamantis I Tsilimigras³, Maria Gavriatopoulou⁴, Meletios A Dimopoulos²

Affiliations

¹ First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
² Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Alexandra General Hospital, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, 11528, Athens, Greece.
³ Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
⁴ Department of Clinical Therapeutics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Alexandra General Hospital, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, 11528, Athens, Greece. mariagabria@gmail.com.

PMID: 33417084
PMCID: PMC7790724
DOI: 10.1007/s10238-020-00680-x

Abstract

Thousands of articles have been published regarding the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Most of them are not original research articles but reviews and editorials, and therefore, the absence of evidence-based guidelines has been evident. In parallel, the quality of manuscripts is questionable since the number of preprints has increased due to the need of fast publication of COVID-19-related articles. Furthermore, the number of retracted articles during the pandemic is exceptionally high. Media have an important role in the distribution of incorrect information, nevertheless individual people and policy makers are also responsible. As misinformation thrives in crisis periods, well-designed studies are needed to flatten the infodemic curve regarding prevention, diagnosis, and long-term complications of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Infodemic; Misinformation; SARS-CoV-2; Social media.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Two conflicting sides of global distribution of information about COVID-19 pandemic. *COVID-19*: Coronavirus disease of 2019; *RCTs*: Randomized controlled trials

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COVID-19: time to flatten the infodemic curve

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COVID-19: time to flatten the infodemic curve

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