Misinformation about Corona
- Aletta van Popta
- 10 jun 2020
- 3 minuten om te lezen
You can’t image a world without media and internet anymore. The newspaper, news on television, radio and social media. It is literally everywhere, so is the news about the coronavirus. I have talked about this before, all the different voices about the coronavirus. Not all the news is correct, there is a lot of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the scale of the pandemic, the origin, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. I first thought “okay so what there is misinformation, there is always fake news”. But what is the impact of this misinformation? Can it be dangerous?
Where the coronavirus comes from
The coronavirus is relatively new to the world and there has not been a lot of research about it. This gives room for misinformation. It already starts with where the coronavirus came from. For conspiracy theorists, it was created in a lab by Bill Gates as part of a globalist agenda to lower populations. Or it originated in the Chinese government as a bioweapon unleashed upon the world to undermine the United States. There are people saying it comes from the Wuhan market where wild animals are sold. Some of the first cases had a link to the market but many who where infected didn’t. It is likely we never see a detailed timeline of where the virus came from. The latest science is telling us: The new coronavirus sweeping the globe is a mutation of another virus more commonly found in bats. It likely transferred to humans via another animal, possibly the armadillo-like pangolin. The scientific evidence shows that it is not man-made.
How the coronavirus spreads
I think this is the most important part of the coronavirus. Everybody in the world needs the correct information about this. We want to prevent the virus from spreading so we don’t want misinformation about the spreading. The WHO website is full of information countering some of these claims, including rumors that both hot weather and cold weather kill the coronavirus (they don’t), that mosquitoes can transmit the disease (they can’t) and that readers should use an ultraviolet disinfectant lamp to sterilize their skin (you shouldn’t). So if you are not sure about something I suggest you look at the website of the WHO or contact a local health authority if you have questions.
Treatment of the coronavirus
The most famous example of misinformation in treatment of the coronavirus is Donald Trump claimed in a March 19 press conference that “chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine”, often used in malaria treatments, had been approved by the Federal Drug Administration for the treatment of Covid-19. The FDA had, at that point, not approved it for such use. The same with people who are claiming that alcohol could treat the disease (it will not). It are desperate times, but self-medicating isn’t the way to do it.
In my opinion the misinformation about prevention and treatment has gone too far. It can be dangerous if people are really following this advices. I think that the best you can do during this pandemic is take care of yourself. This means: eating healthy, exercise minimal 30 minutes per day and taking care of mental health. Too much stress is also not good for your body. Beside that keeping the 1.5 meter distance and wash your hands regularly. If you are not sure about something contact a health authority.
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