The omnipresent COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to a parallel spreading of\nmisinformation, also referred to as an Infodemic. Consequently, social media\nhave become targets for the application of social bots, that is, algorithms\nthat mimic human behaviour. Their ability to exert influence on social media\ncan be exploited by amplifying misinformation, rumours, or conspiracy theories\nwhich might be harmful to society and the mastery of the pandemic. By applying\nsocial bot detection and content analysis techniques, this study aims to\ndetermine the extent to which social bots interfere with COVID- 19 discussions\non Twitter. A total of 78 presumptive bots were detected within a sample of\n542,345 users. The analysis revealed that bot-like users who disseminate\nmisinformation, at the same time, intersperse news from renowned sources. The\nfindings of this research provide implications for improved bot detection and\nmanaging potential threats through social bots during ongoing and future\ncrises.\n