It is natural to not rely solely on governments to find a cure for COVID-19. And so, many of us are probably conducting our own research as well. While all of that is natural and true, it comes with a cost. It provides people with the opportunity to use the public confusion and fear to their advantage. To falsely further their interests as somehow relevant. This has been done in many ways like spreading false news about the origin of the virus. Below we are going to be highlighting a list of myths, fake news, and propaganda about the cures of the Virus.
If you happen to have come across such news and you believed it, do not worry. It’s designed in ways that make it seem very true. Just delete it out of your systems right away.
Heat Kills the Virus
Many of you would have heard this from Trump saying it multiple times. Explaining that the virus will no longer affect people after April as the weather gets warmer.
This is false on many levels. For starters, everything that Trump says needs serious verification. Secondly, while it is true that some viruses are less effective in summers, that cannot be said to be a cure for COVID-19. The first flu pandemic in 1918 did way over in the summer but by the fall, the virus returned. It is also worth knowing that the virus came back more severe and killed around 200,000 Americans. Lastly, WHO has not confirmed that climate can be a limiting factor in this pandemic. But, sadly the virus is also prevalent in countries with hotter climates as well.
Spraying Alcohol or Bleach on your body will protect you
No, obviously not. This was trending on twitter where people actually went further saying drinking sanitizers and even bleach would cure you. They were obviously joking. But, while it sounds funny, many people actually took it very seriously. As there were reported incidents of multiple dying from drinking bleached alcohol in Iran.
WHO had to comment on this, which shows how serious fake news can get. It clarified that doing so will harm the mucous membranes of the skin. WHO further explained that it would obviously not protect you from the virus nor cure it but actually kill you.
Clapping and conch blowing will kill the virus
We wish this was not part of the list, but there is worse out there. Prime Minister Modi asked people to clap or blow conches from their balconies across India in order to applaud their doctors. While the goodwill gesture was followed by the public, it soon backfired. Many people started spreading false information that doing so will kill the virus. There was even a theory that went viral on WhatsApp. It suggested that if a billion people clap and blow conches at the same time, it will create so much vibrations that the virus will lose all potency. Consequently, thousands of people came out in processions clapping and dancing making the virus even more widespread.
This is obviously not true because you cannot kill, or cure someone from, a virus by sound.
Drinking cow urine will kill coronavirus
We promise; we’re not making these up on our own. With more than a billion people in India, the false information is not an inconsequential myth. Hindus consider cows to be holy and divine. They believe that cow urine contains the cure to many diseases and so will also cure them from corona. The fake news is so impactful that even the prices for cow urine skyrocketed to Rupees 500 a glass. Furthermore, government officials and religious clerics saw this as an opportunity to propagate their beliefs and kept spreading this news.
While the urine will not cure anyone from COVID-19, it will most certainly make them sick. The government had to arrest an official as people fell sick from drinking the urine. Yet, people continue drinking cow urine in hopes of staying safe.
Reciting the ‘Call to Prayer (Adhaan)’ will protect you against the virus
Sadly, India is not the only country where religious leaders use a pandemic to further their interests. In Pakistan, a Muslim majority country, this false information about the virus originated. The belief is that if you stand on top of a roof, or in any high public place, and recite the call to prayer (Adhaan) the virus will not attack you. As there are more than a billion Muslims out there, such false information about a cure to the virus is very dangerous.
It is obvious that reciting some religious chants will not cure anyone from corona nor kill it. However, it encourages people to go out in public places and stand on roofs. That can lead to people spreading the virus even more and actually risk falling from their roofs.
Fake news can be very dangerous. It forces people to behave in ways they normally wouldn’t while putting themselves and many others at risk. It is integral for us to prevent the spread of false information as much as possible. “We are not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” said World Health Organisation’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.