Many Americans—influenced by political leaders and even some health providers—chose to downplay or ignore science-based recommendations from infectious-disease experts to get vaccinated, wear masks, and practice physical distancing. At the same time, unproven, even “dangerous anti-science beliefs and behaviors” spread, gaining traction with some. As a result, notes Scientific American, “more people have died in the U.S. from COVID-19 than in any other country, and our nation has one of the highest per capita death rates in the world.”

Featuring Dr. Seema Yasmin, Director of Research and Education, Stanford University Health Communication Initiative; John Gregory, Health Editor for NewsGuard, and Meredith Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Emergent Risk International