Fight against infodemic in Venezuela during the COVID-19 epidemic -Razetti Situational Room, 2020

The infodemic and false news created confusion and uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenon has particularly affected the Venezuelan population due to the lack of distribution of periodic official information about the national epidemiological surveillance since 2016. As a result, a group of students from the Central University of Venezuela planned the “Razetti Situational Room” program, which aims to summarize and facilitate the understanding of truthful and reliable information linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program began in March 2020, when the pandemic was notified nationally. From that moment on, health communication actions were carried on until November 16, 2020, closing the project with more than 250 messages with depurated data, made and diffused on a daily regime, through social networks to reach 1 039 657 visualizations. In conclusion, the importance and urgency of having a regular and reliable communication channel when it comes to public health notifications became clear. Having a system that conveys easily understood news to the general public and reliable sources, helps in reducing the infodemic and spreading fake news. The experience strengthened the teamwork, discipline, and management of epidemiological data and health communications of undergraduate medical students. © 2021 Academia Nacional de Medicina. All rights reserved.