MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. The spread of misinformation and hoaxes regarding COVID-19 during the pandemic is known to have caused fatalities, according to Vladimir Tabak, President of the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN).

"For the first time, we encountered a situation where hoaxes and misinformation began causing deaths on a significant scale. Driven largely by desperation or lack of knowledge, some people turned to alternative treatments, while others denied the very existence of COVID. Unfortunately, this led not merely to the spread of falsehoods, but to actual deaths," Tabak said at the OANA media forum.

He cited the pharmaceutical industry's promotion of its drugs – accompanied by claims that they offered a complete cure – as an example of the malicious dissemination of misinformation.

The OANA Media Forum in Moscow is taking place in the year marking the 65th anniversary of the organization, which brings together 41 news agencies from 33 countries. The forum is organized by TASS, which will chair OANA until 2028. TASS General Director Andrey Kondrashov heads the organization, while TASS Deputy Director General Marat Abulkhatin is OANA’s secretary general.