7 Fake News About Coronavirus: Biological Weapons, 5G Spreads Virus, ...

Conspiracy theories and fake news about the origin of the new strain of coronavirus have quickly spread following the outbreak across the globe.

So far, the virus has spread to 22 countries and territories around the world, infected approximately 28,276 people and caused 565 deaths in China. But scientists still do not know exactly which animals have transmitted the new coronavirus to humans.

The most recent hypothesis is that the virus originated from snakes, and it came from a seafood market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. But it has not yet been fully confirmed, and it is an opportunity for a series of fake news and conspiracy theories to spread on social networks.

Immediately after WHO declared the coronavirus as a global health emergency, social media giant Facebook said that it would remove any content containing false statements or conspiracy theories that have been rejected by global health organizations and local health authorities that might cause possible harm to those who believe in them.

Twitter has also announced it will refine its search results to highlight reputable health sources related to the keyword #coronavirus. Here are the most popular fake news and misinformation around the globe.

1. FAKE NEWS: People in Wuhan eat bats

Much of the misinformation about the origin of the new coronavirus originates from a widely shared video, showing a woman eating a bat. This video appeared in the RT, Daily Mail, and far-right Youtube channel Paul Joseph Watson.

But the truth is that the video was not recorded in Wuhan. The woman in this video is the Chinese host Wang Mengyun. She said this video has been shot in 2016, on an island in the Western Pacific named Palau to promote tourism.

Mengyun said that since the video went viral on the internet, she has been receiving multiple death threats.

2. FAKE NEWS: Virus has been deliberately released

Proponents of conspiracy theories have spread the idea that the new coronavirus outbreak coincided with the start of the impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump.

A Twitter page called Jordan Sather with 100,000 followers posted an article saying the disease was actually planned in advance. Sather cited a coronavirus patent granted to a company connected to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

However, the company Pirbright quickly had to issue a statement refuting this false information. Pirbright said it studied the infectious bronchitis virus, which is also a coronavirus but only affects pigs and poultry - not humans.

3. FAKE NEWS: The new coronavirus is a biological weapon

The Washington Times stated in a story that the new coronavirus outbreak may be related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. They cited the opinion of a former Israeli military intelligence officer, who claimed that the new virus could be a Chinese biological weapon. Other conspiracy theories claim that the virus was from Canada and smuggled into China.

However, the Washington Post spoke to several experts who said that based on the genome of the new coronavirus strain, there is no indication that it was designed by human hands.

MIT professor Vipin Narang said in a tweet that there is no evidence that it is a biological weapon. Even if it was a biological weapon, it was an inferior weapon. Because of the nature of biological weapons, there must be a lethal rate but not easily spread. The new coronavirus is the opposite.

4. FAKE NEWS: 5G mobile network caused the spread of coronavirus

 Today, 5G mobile networks seem to be the one to blame for everything from cancer to wildfires. Therefore, it is not surprising that conspiracy theorists continue to say that 5G is the cause of the current epidemic, or that it helps coronavirus spread faster.

This idea has been shared on anti-5G groups on Facebook. One post also stated that Wuhan was the first place to deploy 5G mobile network and that destroyed the immune system of the people here, while enhancing the virulence of the common cold virus turned into coronavirus.

Although Wuhan is indeed one of the few cities that will deploy the first 5G network in China in 2020. There is currently no evidence that 5G weakens the immune system or is harmful to humans.

5. FAKE NEWS: Taking salt water, vitamin C, or oregano oil, can prevent disease

Anti-vaccination and natural medicine groups are sharing information that oregano oil, salt water, and vitamin C are effective ways to prevent coronavirus or cure the disease. But all these "remedies" will not be helpful.

Patients infected with coronavirus must be treated separately, with antiviral drugs and other specialized medical methods.

6. FAKE NEWS: Advise people to drink bleach

This is one of the most dangerous fake news spread today. The group that spreads it is selling what it calls a "miraculous mineral solution", claiming it will prevent and cure coronavirus.

Previously, the group also claimed that its solution could cure all diseases, including HIV / AIDS or autism. However, the US Food and Drug Administration says the solution is actually a dangerous bleach.

7. FAKE NEWS: Red Bull and Chinese biscuits contain viruses

There have been a lot of posts spread on social networks, from sites trying to become an official update regarding the disease caused by the new coronavirus. They always recommend what people should and should not do in this situation, but only based on unscientific ideas.

One such site in Australia, "Wiggles and Giggles Wentworthville Child Care Center", has posted an "emergency notice" advertised as the "Department of Disease Science Parramatta". However, this Department of Science does not exist. And that "urgent notice" advised that foods originating from China infected with the virus include: lucky biscuits, wuxhang rice, Yakult Red Bull of China, and Migoreng noodles.

The New South Wales health ministry was forced to issue a statement saying that there was no science department called the Parramatta Diseases Science Department. At the same time, the information shared by the page is fake.

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