There’s lots of misleading information circulating about COVID-19, leading people to wonder what is true and what is not
That’s why we are working in partnership with other health care organisations in the county to launch a new campaign aimed at setting the record straight.
The new campaign ‘COVID-19. Get the Facts’ provides trusted, professionally sourced information about some of the main issues people may have questions about.
This includes the COVID vaccinations, the importance of prevention measures such as wearing a face covering and social distancing, as well as information about a wide range of other COVID-related topics.
Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, Councillor Carol Hart said:
“We’re seeing an alarming rise in fake news and disinformation being circulated around COVID-19 and the new vaccinations.
“Locally people are receiving leaflets through their doors and being bombarded with misleading messaging and other misinformation via social media.
“This could have very real impacts on the take up of the vaccination and its overall efficacy which is why we are doing all we can to ensure that people get the correct information.”
Healthcare professionals from organisations including Derbyshire Community Health Services and Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group will also be providing short, information films about some of the main questions people might have.
Michelle Bateman, chief nurse for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“It is so important that people have the right, accurate information about COVID-19 and how best to protect themselves from the virus.
“This new campaign is a fantastic source of factual and easy to understand knowledge, which will really help Derbyshire residents to keep themselves safe and to be confident in accepting the vaccination when they are offered it.
“The pandemic has already caused too much heartache to people who have lost loved ones.
“We need to do all we can to prevent people putting themselves at risk because of misinformation. I welcome this campaign as a source of information people can trust.”
All the information used in the campaign has been quality checked by our Health Protection team and is drawn from reliable sources including Public Health England, Joined Up Care Derbyshire and the NHS.
Keep an eye out on social media for the new campaign and read up on all COVID-19 facts.