A panel of doctors participated in a virtual event Thursday that addressed COVID-19 misinformation brought up by members of the public at the March 1 County Board of Supervisors meeting.
The virtual session was available to the public for live viewing and included simultaneous translation to Spanish. 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. Christian Ramers from Family Health Centers of San Diego and Dr. Kelly Motadel, County child health officer.
The discussion included effective treatment and preventive measures, information about which masks are effective with the current strains of the virus, who should be seeking monoclonal antibody treatment if they test positive for COVID-19, the burden of the pandemic on immunocompromised San Diegans, 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 today’s virtual event is available on the coronavirus-sd.com website.
The panel with Spanish interpretation is below.
