This COVID-19 pandemic has been described in many ways – “unprecedented” is among the more commonly used terms.

The reality is that pandemics have occurred throughout human history. The difference this time is the rapid spread of information (and misinformation), opinion and reporting, across the world in highly accessible formats.

Allow this to run in societies where many people are suspicious of government intent and harbour scepticism of expertise, where individuals often value personal testimony over the “official” line and you produce a potent cocktail of confusion and dissent.

It is worth stressing that even in times like these, the vast majority of people still gravitate to trusted sources for their health information.