Bhubaneswar: Doctors urge Covid patients to regulate social media use

BHUBANESWAR: Indiscriminate posts and images related to Covid-19 deaths and sufferings and that of its new variants seem to be having a psychological impact on those who are down with Covid or have recovered, who, incidentally, are happen to be on social media.
Some are even posting unverified and baseless information against Covid vaccine on social media. Many people like and share these posts until someone bust this false propaganda and clear the confusion. The state government had arrested several people for spreading rumour and fake information regarding Covid-19 during the first wave.
Many people on social media counter false information and also create awareness about proper internet behaviour. They also post truth about the fake posts. Many of them request fellow social media users not to share false and unverified posts in different platforms.
Biswaranjan Kar, a government doctor, regularly tweets about Covid-19 issues and its related information. He has also tweeted about the positive impact of vaccines to sensitize people and reduce vaccine hesitancy. “Before posting anything on social media related to public health, we should ensure that it is not false or baseless. Creating panic among people through these posts can be dangerous,” Kar said.
Lagnajit Dash, a psychiatrist and teacher, said people down with Covid should regulate their social media use and stop reading unverified and baseless information.
“People should read reliable and verified source of information. If anybody gets Covid, he/she should consult a doctor and follow his/her advice,” Dash said.