The Coronavirus Pandemic has resulted in an ‘Infodemic’ of misinformation and ‘Fake News’.
WhatsApp Forwards and Infographics on prevention measures for COVID-19, seemingly released by UNICEF have gone viral on social media.
#coronavirus Awareness.. Now it’s very common, everybody knows about it, but it’s from #Unicef Just read & follow also…ðð¹ð ð pic.twitter.com/uIm96baTgM
â G B MUTHA (@GBMUTHA1) March 10, 2020
The text of the WhatsApp forwards looks like an advisory for the prevention and control of COVID-19.
1st Claim:
The advisory has been released by UNICEF, The United Nations Children’s Fund, a UN agency that ‘works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
Fact Check:
Unicef in the Philippines announced on Twitter that the graphics are not from them.
â ï¸ Misinformation on COVID-19 UNICEF does not issue coronavirus advisories on chat apps. We post updates and safety tips only on official verified UNICEF accounts and on our official website: https://t.co/sYMowbWVvP #COVID19 #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/EuA7YWwW5U
â UNICEF Philippines (@unicefphils) March 7, 2020
Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Unicef deputy executive director for partnerships, said in a statement on March 6 that these posts and online messages misappropriated UNICEF’s name.
‘A recent erroneous online message circulating in several languages around the world and purporting to be a Unicef communication appears to indicate, among other things, that avoiding ice cream and other cold foods can help prevent the onset of the disease. This is, of course, wholly untrue,’ said Petri Gornitzka.
2nd Claim:
‘Coronavirus (Covid-19) is large in size where the cell diameter is 400-500 micro and for this reason, any mask prevents its entry.’
Fact Check:
According to WHO, masks are only effective when combined with regular hand washing. Viruses like this can enter through the eyes even if you’re wearing a mask.
They have further advised that If you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with the suspected 2019-nCoV infection.
Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.
3rd Claim:
‘The virus does not settle in the air but is grounded so it is not transmitted by air.’
Fact Check:
The virus that causes Covid-19 certainly can spread through cough and sneeze droplets in the air, which can, in turn, enter someone else’s system.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person.
Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets.
AltNews reported that in a new-preprint study (Doremalen et al 2020) conducted by American scientists it is suggested that the new coronavirus (COVID-19) can live in the air for several hours and on some surfaces for as long as 2-3 days. It is also mentioned that the virus can spread through the air as well as from touching things that were contaminated by those who are infected as well as through direct human contact.
The researchers tested the virus by spraying into the air by a nebuliser mimicking the coughing action of an infected person. They learnt that could be detected up to 3 hours later in the air, up to 4 hours on copper surfaces, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel surfaces.
Therefore, while it is true that the virus can survive on surfaces for longer, the claim in the text makes no references to the study and does not correctly mention the duration of its survival on different surfaces.
4th Claim:
‘Coronavirus lives on the hands for 10 minutes, so putting an alcohol sterilizer in the pocket meets the purpose of prevention.’
Fact Check:
Using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser is a good way to prevent the virus from spreading if washing your hands with soap and water isn’t possible.
5th Claim:
‘Coronavirus when it falls on a metal surface, it will live for 12 hours, so washing hands with soap and water well enough.’
Fact Check:
It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of…
