WhatsApp chain letter: watch out for lies about corona virus

Dangerous intimidation

March 10, 2020, 1:12 pm Reading time: Two minutes

WhatsApp users should be careful not to trust or forward chain letters about corona virus. Because sources of unknown origin often contain many false statements and involve Covid-19 disease.

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Update: We added more information to this article on March 10.

By March 2020, reports of chain letters on new coronavirus and related diseases Covid-19 continue to increase. Among other things, the recipients were informed of Canadian thoughtful investigative methods and reports of suspicious witnesses in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The consumer protection.com website summarizes some fake news about the portal's potentially proven wrong virus:

• The virus is very big and fell to the ground in a sneeze after three meters
• The virus can survive on metal surfaces for 12 hours
• The virus remains active in the fabric for 6-12 hours and can be killed by detergents and sunlight
• Symptoms appear chronologically (throat dry for 3-4 days, then pneumonia for 5-6 days, etc.)
• Bacteria can drip into the lungs, so you should rinse your mouth and drink plenty of hot water to kill the bacteria

The statements in the chain letter were not particularly precise and did not specify a source. Be sure to use confidential resources to gather information about new diseases, such as Covid-19. This includes the website of the Federal Ministry of Health. We also summarize interesting facts about coronavirus in the article and introduce you to the source of the information.

The truth is conscious fake news

In addition to false information that can spread due to fear and ignorance, there are also chain letters with targeted false news. The YouTube channel "Odysseus" has been released for a long time. It is claimed that you have confidential information and are not affected by the assumed media controls. These videos often cover topics in the field of pseudoscience or conspiracy theories, such as "Remote Bee-Man", "Why 5G should be our new god" or "Australian forest fires".

These phones are affected by the WhatsApp shutdown

There is also not a lot of information here, research or other information conducted by recognized scientific institutions to check what is mentioned. In addition, they describe complex issues such as the isolation of emerging diseases in a very simple way, so trust the statements of doctors, educational institutions, and government agencies.

Videos can't be fact checked for a long time

Portal Mimikama.at relies on statements from doctors and researchers to fact-check the claims in the video. It is claimed that the "2019-nCoV" pathogen is called "coronavirus" more dangerous than SARS and the mutation type of the disease is incorrect. These two viruses belong to the coronavirus family only. Mimikama can also refute statements about dangerous situations in China. Chinese cities were blocked with the help of the military, but the virus did not spread exponentially, and the situation in the affected cities was not out of control.

Are you worried about the spread of corona virus Connect with a doctor and trust his expertise. Because of disease outbreaks, epidemics are even more common. Compared to chain letters from unknown sources on WhatsApp, your family doctor will always be able to provide you with a better assessment through rich experience and scientific disease knowledge.

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