With more than two million cases globally, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic has resulted in unprecedented disruption to human society. Leaders from around
the world have escalated from states of reluctant acceptance to states of emergency.
Unlike historical pandemics, such as the 1918 H1N1 pandemic, COVID-19 is spreading
across a highly connected world, in which virtually all individuals are linked to
each other through the mobile phone in their pockets. Because of strict physical distancing
measures, people are heavily reliant on maintaining connectivity using global digital
social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter, to facilitate human interaction and
information sharing about the virus.