An independent panel of local doctors today participated in a virtual event that addressed COVID-19 misinformation brought up by members of the public at the Jan. 11 County Board of Supervisors meeting.
The virtual session was available to the public for live viewing and the two doctors who participated dispelled misleading claims about COVID-19.
The panel was moderated by Dr. Eric McDonald, County chief medical officer and included Dr. John Bradley from Rady Children’s Hospital and Dr. Christian Ramers from Family Health Centers of San Diego.
Both have worked on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic since the virus was first identified here in San Diego. Their discussion included the impact of COVID-19 in children, the current understanding of the severity of the Omicron variant compared to previous strains, misstatements about co-morbidities and COVID deaths, the early therapies for COVID infection that are or are not helpful, the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as other issues that came up at the Board of Supervisors meeting.
County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency staff regularly track COVID-19 misinformation shared during public comment at the Board of Supervisors meetings.
In August of last year, San Diego County became the first jurisdiction in the nation to declare health misinformation a public health crisis. Others have since followed.
The County has also launched a website to debunk common false claims about COVID-19 and educate people on where to find credible medical information sources.
A video of the virtual event is available on the coronavirus-sd.com website.
The panel with Spanish interpretation is below.
