Misinformation caused increased urban mobility and the end of social confinement before the second wave of COVID-19 in Amazonia

ABSTRACT

Tendentious projections about COVID-19 in Brazil provided an appealing excuse for individuals and decision-makers to justify poor choices during a critical phase of the pandemic. The erroneous results likely contributed to premature resumption of in-person school classes and easing of restrictions on social contact, favoring the resurgence of COVID-19. In Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon region, the COVID-19 pandemic did not end in 2020 of its own accord, but rather rebounded in a disastrous second wave of the disease.