All section Close
Image Credit: Pixabay, Nick Hinton/Twitter
Fact Check: No, Dean Koontz's 1981 Novel Did Not Predict COVID-19 Pandemic
14 March 2020 5:59 AM GMT | Updated 14 March 2020 6:25 AM GMT
Editor : Bharat Nayak |
As the founding editor, Bharat had been heading the newsroom during the formation years of the organization and worked towards editorial policies, conceptualizing and designing campaign strategies and collaborations. He believes that through the use of digital media, one could engage the millennial's in rational conversations about pertinent social issues, provoking them to think and bring a behavioral change accordingly.
By : Aditi Chattopadhyay
Aditi, part of the fact checking team of The Logical Indian likes to read, write, cook and laugh, in short live life as it is supposed to be. What makes her fascinated is to discover the truth behind a story and more often than not, it is either fact or myth at the end.
People claim that the novel predicted the COVID-19 pandemic much before it's time.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic on Wednesday, March 11. The virus has spread to over 100 countries, with over 140,000 confirmed cases, and nearly 5,000 deaths. In such a scenario, where fear and anxiety has taken over people, the distribution of fake news is on the rise.
A photograph from "The Eyes of Darkness", the thriller novel by Dean Koontz has gone viral over social media with a claim that the novel predicted the coronavirus outbreak much before.
"A Dean Koontz novel written in 1981 predicted the outbreak of the coronavirus!" reads one such tweet.
A Dean Koontz novel written in 1981 predicted the outbreak of the coronavirus! pic.twitter.com/bjjqq6TzOl
— Nick Hinton (@NickHintonn) February 16, 2020
It's a strange world we live in.#coronavirus #COVID19 #Wuhan pic.twitter.com/WkjbK4zGaW
— Darren of Plymouth 🇬🇧 (@DarrenPlymouth) February 16, 2020
Claim:
Dean Koontz's novel "The Eyes of Darkness" predicted the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fact Check:
The novel is a work of fiction, and hence any resemblance is a meagre coincidence. In "The Eyes of Darkness" novel the author made reference to a killer virus called "Wuhan-400" – eerily predicting the Chinese city where Covid-19 would emerge. But the similarities end there: Wuhan-400 is described as having a "kill‑rate" of 100 per cent, developed in labs outside the city as the "perfect" biological weapon.
Differences Between Novel Coronavirus and 'Wuhan-400'
In the novel, "Wuhan-400" has a 100 per cent fatality rate. While World Health Organization officials announced an average case fatality rate of 3.4 per cent. The fictional "Wuhan-400" has an expeditious incubation period of about four hours. However, for COVID-19, the following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure: Fever, Cough, Shortness of breath.
Therefore, there is no reason to believe that the famous novel predicted the COVID-19 pandemic long before its time.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343
Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: 68-Yr-Old Woman Dies In Delhi, Second Casualty In India
Must Reads
We are an independent and public-spirited digital media platform for Indian millennials. We report news and issues that matter as well as give you the opportunity to take action.
