A8
NATION/WORLD
East Oregonian
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
CORONAVIRUS
Outbreak means (mis)information overload: How to cope
By BARBARA ORTUTAY
AND DAVID KLEPPER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The
coronavirus pandemic is lead-
ing to information overload
for many people, often mak-
ing it diffi cult to separate fact
from fi ction and rumor from
deliberate efforts to mislead.
Already, text messages
predicting a nationwide lock-
down have circulated, along
with social media posts telling
people one way to get tested
for the virus is by donating
blood or warning that mos-
quitoes can carry it. All are
untrue. Such falsehoods
can endanger public health,
sow confusion and prevent
important information from
reaching people during a cri-
sis. The Associated Press has
debunked many such claims,
including one about bananas
supposedly preventing people
from catching the virus and
another on “Harry Potter”
actor Daniel Radcliffe testing
positive.
COVID-19, the illness
caused by the virus, has
stricken thousands across
the globe but usually pres-
ents only mild or moderate
symptoms, such as fever and
cough. For older adults and
people with other health prob-
lems, it can cause compli-
cations or sometimes death.
Most people recover.
Here are some things you
can do to separate fact from
misinformation:
Loss of smell, taste, might
signal coronavirus infection
By MALCOLM RITTER
AP Science Writer
NEW YORK — A loss
of smell or taste might be an
early sign of infection with
the pandemic virus, say med-
ical experts who cite reports
from several countries.
It might even serve as a
useful screening tool, they
say.
The idea of a virus infec-
tion reducing sense of smell
is not new. Respiratory viral
infection is a common cause
of loss of smell, because
infl ammation can interfere
with airfl ow and the ability
to detect odors. The sense
of smell usually returns
when the infection resolves,
but in a small percentage of
cases, smell loss can persist
after other symptoms dis-
appear. In some cases, it is
permanent.
Now, there’s “good evi-
dence” from South Korea,
China and Italy for loss
or impairment of smell in
infected people, says a joint
statement from the presidents
of the British Rhinological
Society and of ENT UK, a
British group that represents
ear, nose and throat doctors.
In South Korea, some 30%
of people who tested posi-
tive for the virus have cited
loss of smell as their major
complaint in otherwise mild
cases, they wrote.
So that might be useful as
a way to spot infected people
without other symptoms —
fever, coughing and short-
ness of breath — of the new
coronavirus, they wrote.
A similar proposal was
published Sunday by the
American Academy of Oto-
laryngology-Head and Neck
Surgery. It noted “rapidly
accumulating” anecdotal evi-
dence from around the world
that the pandemic virus can
cause not only loss of smell
but also a diminished sense
of taste. So the appearance
of those symptoms in peo-
ple without another explana-
tion should alert doctors to
the possibility of a COVID-
19 infection, the group said.
Maria Van Kerkhove,
an outbreak expert at the
World Health Organization,
told reporters Monday that
the U.N. health agency is
looking into the question of
whether the loss of smell or
taste are a defi ning feature of
the disease.
Look for the source
We are more likely to
believe things our friends tell
us — that’s human nature.
It’s why rumors spread and
why misinformation trav-
els on social media. It’s also
why the chain text message
warning of a nationwide lock-
down worked so well: Every-
one heard it from a friend of
a friend who “knows some-
one.” Be wary of import-
ant-sounding information that
is not coming from a clear,
authoritative source, such
as local government agen-
cies and health departments,
or national and international
public health institutes, such
as the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and
the World Health Organiza-
tion. Posts may also claim that
a politician said or did some-
thing. You can check that
information through legiti-
mate news outlets or the can-
didates’ own verifi ed social
media accounts.
CDC and WHO
The top public health insti-
tutes in the United States and
other countries, along with
the WHO, are some of the
most trusted sources of infor-
mation about the outbreak.
They provide the latest sta-
tistics, advisories and guides
on everything from sanitiz-
ing your home to managing
stress.
Dr. Jessica Justman, an
infectious disease expert at
Columbia University, said
the sheer amount of infor-
mation online about the
coronavirus pandemic can
quickly become overwhelm-
ing. That’s one reason she
encourages people to check
the websites of the CDC and
the WHO.
“It’s not just misinforma-
tion, it’s also a lack of good
information,” Justman said.
“There’s so much information
out there that many people are
just saying ‘I can’t read it, it
makes me too anxious.’”
“Go straight to the
source,” she said. “The CDC
has been putting out great
information.”
Don’t believe
everything
Bad actors and trolls look-
ing to exploit people’s fears
around coronavirus are using
a variety of techniques to sow
confusion. False news articles
are just a small part of this.
Photos and videos can be
edited and altered, and real
images can be presented out
of context.
Americans have a duty not
to add to an already anxious
time by spreading misinfor-
mation that could alarm oth-
ers — or put them at risk, said
Dr. Ruth Parker, a physician
at Emory University School
of Medicine in Atlanta and an
expert on health literacy.
“It’s a scary time,” Parker
said. “We don’t want to add
fuel to the fi re. Good informa-
tion won’t cure us, but it will
help to calm us.”
Tensions rise as virus aid stalls in Washington
By LISA MASCARO,
ANDREW TAYLOR
AND JONATHAN
LEMIRE
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Ten-
sions fl ared Monday as Wash-
ington strained to respond
to the worsening coronavi-
rus outbreak, with Congress
arguing over a nearly $2 tril-
lion economic rescue pack-
age and an impatient Presi-
dent Donald Trump musing
openly about letting the
15-day shutdown expire.
As the U.S. braces for
an onslaught of sick Ameri-
cans, and millions are forced
indoors to avert a spike that
risks overwhelming hospi-
tals, the most ambitious fed-
eral intervention in mod-
ern times is testing whether
Washington can swiftly halt
the pandemic on the home
front. By evening, it appeared
there would be no further
votes Monday, and talks
would push into the night.
“It’s time to get with the
program, time to pass historic
relief,” said an angry Sen-
ate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell as he opened
the chamber after a nonstop
weekend session that failed
to produce a deal. “This is a
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to the Sen-
ate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington on Monday as
the Senate is working to pass a coronavirus relief bill.
national emergency.”
Fuming,
McConnell
warned Democrats — point-
edly House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi — to quit stalling
on “political games,” as he
described Democratic efforts
to steer more of the aid toward
public health and workers.
Trump, who has largely
been hands off from the
negotiations, weighed in late
Monday from the White
House briefi ng room, declar-
ing that Congress should vote
“for the Senate bill as writ-
ten,” dismissing any Demo-
cratic proposal.
“It must go quickly,”
Trump said. “This is not the
time for political agendas.”
The
president
also
sounded a note of frustra-
tion about the unprecedented
modern-day effort to halt the
virus’s march by essentially
shutting down public activi-
ties in ways that now threaten
the U.S. economy.
Even though Trump’s
administration
recom-
mended Americans curtail
activities starting a week ago,
the president said: “We can-
not let the cure be worse than
the problem itself. At the end
of the 15-day period, we will
make a decision as to which
way we want to go.”
“Let’s go to work,” he
said. “This country was not
built to be shut down. This is
not a county that was built for
this.”
Trump said that he may
soon allow parts of the
nation’s economy, in regions
less badly hit by the virus, to
begin reopening, contradict-
ing the advice of medical and
public health experts across
the country, if not the globe,
to hunker down even more
fi rmly.
Pelosi assailed Trump’s
idea and fl uctuating response
to the crisis.
“He’s a notion-monger,
just tossing out things that
have no relationship to a well
coordinated, science-based,
government-wide response
to this,” Pelosi said on a
health care conference call.
“Thank God for the gover-
nors who are taking the lead
in their state. Thank God
for some of the people in the
administration who speak
truth to power.”
The White House team,
led by Treasury Secretary
Steven Mnuchin, worked
on Capitol Hill for a fourth
straight day of talks as nego-
tiators narrowed on a biparti-
san accord.
EASTERN OREGON
marketplace
Place classified ads online at www.easternoregonmarketplace.com or call 1-800-962-2819 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
After hours, leave a voicemail and we’ll confirm your ad the next business day. Email us at classifieds@ eastoregonian.com or fax: 541-278-2680
East Oregonian
Deadline is 3 p.m. the day before publication
211 S.E. Byers Ave.
333 E. Main St.
We accept:
Pendleton, OR 97801 Hermiston, OR 97838
See www.easternoregonmarketplace.com for classified ads from all over Eastern Oregon
EAST OREGONIAN • HERMISTON HERALD • BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE • WALLOWA COUNTY CHIEFTAIN
104 Special Notices
104 Special Notices
504 Homes for Sale
PLEASE CHECK YOUR
AD ON THE FIRST DAY
OF PUBLICATION.
While we are happy to make
any necessary corrections,
we can not be responsible
for errors appearing for mul-
tiple days. Thank you!
CLASSIFIED LINE AD
DEADLINES
East Oregonian
2:30PM the day prior to
publication
Hermiston Herald
10am Tuesday
1-800-962-2819
CLASSIFIEDS
classifieds@eastoregonian.com
Call for your classified ad today! 800-962-2819
CHILDREN’S outgrown
clothing, toys and furniture sell
quickly with a classified ad.
184 Personals
Use an attention getter,
color, or border to make your
ad stand out!
Contact Rowan or Chloe at
classifieds@eastoregonian.com
1-800-962-2819
to place your classified ad!
501 Open Houses
.
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
All real estate advertising
in this paper is subject to
the Fair Housing Act which
makes it illegal to advertise
any preference, limitation, or
discrimination based on race,
color, religion, sex, handicap,
familial status, or national or-
igin, or an intention to make
any such preference, limita-
tion, or discrimination. Famil-
ial status includes children
under the age of 18 living with
parents or legal custodians,
pregnant women, and people
securing custody of children
under 18.
This newspaper will not
knowingly accept any adver-
tising for real estate which
is in violation of the law. Our
readers are hereby informed
that all dwellings advertised
in this newspaper are avail-
able on an equal opportunity
basis. To complain of dis-
crimination, call HUD toll-free
at 1-800-669-9777. The toll-
free telephone number for the
hearing impaired is 1-800-
927-9275.
CALL 1-800-962-2819
to advertise here!