A coalition of scientists, communicators and health experts announced Jan. 25 that they have teamed up on an initiative to combat misinformation about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. 

The #ScienceUpFirst is a digital awareness and engagement campaign that aims to “flood and disrupt social media, in an effort to debunk misinformation, and amplify best-in-class science-based content.” 

The initiative emerged from conversations between Senator Stan Kutcher of Nova Scotia, and Professor Timothy Caulfield, who assembled a team of experts. It is led by the Canadian Association of Science CentresCOVID-19 Resources Canada, and the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta

In a statement, the group observed that there is a marked rise in misinformation and conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 vaccines, virus transmission, and government response.  

"Misinformation is a dire, imminent threat to the lives of all Canadians and is proven to be one of the factors fueling COVID-19 infections, and dissuading Canadians from getting vaccinated," says Timothy Caulfield, Canadian Research Chair in Health Law & Policy, University of Alberta. "The #ScienceUpFirst initiative seeks to help fill an urgent need to beat back misinformation with the truth, and save lives." 

The coalition will evaluate the best available science-based content already being shared on many platforms and in many languages, and amplify through their channels. As well, with expert input from renowned scientists and researchers, the #ScienceUpFirst initiative will create unique science-based content to share via their social media channels, says the coalition. 

"In addition to tackling COVID-19 misinformation, the #ScienceUpFirst initiative will build enduring bridges between scientists, science communicators, community organizations, and local audiences," says Marianne Mader, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Science Centres. "We envision this framework to be used beyond the COVID-19 pandemic to address other types of science misinformation."