No evidence of bots impersonating NHS over coronavirus, says Twitter

Unverified claims suggest UK government are running fake accounts to steer coronavirus conversation

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Twitter has said there is no evidence of bot networks being used to manipulate the conversation around the coronavirus pandemic in the UK, contradicting widely-circulated claims that the government was using anonymous online accounts to boost its standing.

Epidemics of infectious diseases behave in different ways but the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more than 50 million people is regarded as a key example of a pandemic that occurred in multiple waves, with the latter more severe than the first. It has been replicated - albeit more mildly - in subsequent flu pandemics.