World Health Organization (WHO) has declared “coronavirus” as a global emergency. The deadly virus continues to spread outside China. The death toll is at 213, and rising daily. Confirmed cases of the coronavirus have reached 10,000. Scientists and health authorities are racing to halt the spread of the deadly virus that emerged from the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Crucial details about the virus and how it spreads are still unknown; however, different allegations and fake news on social media are misleading the public about the outbreak of coronavirus.
We bring you some realities about the virus.
Predictions on Outbreak of Coronavirus:
Microsoft founder Bill Gates predicted in 2018 that a super-virus pandemic will breakout that could kill 33 million people in the first six months. Bill Gates said that it could be a synthetic smallpox virus or a super-flu that is far deadlier than normal strains. He warned that the world needs to prepare for pandemics in the same serious way it prepares for war.
A Netflix documentary in 2019 also predicted an outbreak of virus from wet markets in China. The documentary explained that in wet markets of China, various animals arrive and are killed on sight by vendors who then sell meat to consumers. That’s what the market becomes a disease X factory and it is easy for a virus to become mutated.
The famous cartoon, Simpsons broadcasted an episode in 1993, in which the city named Springfield was hit with something called the “Osaka Flu”, which caused many townspeople, including most of the Simpson family to fall ill. As a result, the entire town ends up in a state of panic.
Fake news regarding Origin of Coronavirus:
The death toll from the coronavirus is continuously rising and the fake news and conspiracy theories regarding the origin of the deadly virus has been spread around the world.
1) People eating Bats in Wuhan: A video has gone viral on social media in which a Chinese woman holding a bat with chopsticks, is eating the creature in a soup. Speculations were made that people are eating bats in China which is the cause of the outbreak.
2) 5G: Wuhan was one of a few places where 5G was rolled out in China in 2020. Some believe that 5G is the reason for the outbreak of the deadly virus. However, there is no evidence that 5G weakens immune systems or is harmful to humans.
3) Bio-Weapon: The Washington Times claimed in a story that the coronavirus outbreak could be linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, quoting a former Israeli military intelligence officer who claimed a bioweapon was one possible option. However, some articles claimed that the virus was created in the United States and was spread in China through a spy team. A number of experts said that there is no indication it was engineered.
Facebook action
Facebook has said that it is taking measured steps to halt the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus. It shall remove content with false claims or conspiracy theories that have been misleading the public regarding coronavirus.
Facebook further added that the spread of information will be limited on Facebook and Instagram, and users will be shown accurate information instead. Users who try to share posts identified as false, or who have already shared them, will be told that the content has been removed.
Is the virus here to stay?
When a virus circulates continuously in a community, it is said to be endemic. One big question is whether the coronavirus is also here to stay? There’s a high chance that it will become endemic. This could mean that deaths occur every year as the virus circulates, until a vaccine is developed. If the virus can be spread by people who are infected but don’t have symptoms, it will be more difficult to control its spread, making it more likely that the virus will become endemic.
What to Do?
The current spread of this virus and the pace, the number of cases and deaths, will likely to continue to climb. We should not panic, even though we are dealing with a serious and novel pathogen. Public health teams are assembling togther. Experts are continouslty trying to create a vaccine and are finding the origin of the deadly virus. As more information becomes available, World Health Organization (WHO) will be sharing key information and strategies worldwide.
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