Forecasting the Spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on the Communication of Coronavirus Sceptics †

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a mark on nearly all events since the start of the year 2020. There are many studies that examine the medical, economic, and social effects of the pandemic; however, only a few are concerned with how the reactions of society affect the spread of the virus. The goal of our study is to explore and analyze the connection between the communication of pandemic sceptics and the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and its caused damages. We aim to investigate the causal relationship between communication about COVID-19 on social media, anti-mask events, and epidemiological indicators in three countries: the USA, Spain, and Hungary.