“Good News! Coronavirus can be cured by ONE bowl of freshly boiled garlic water. Old Chinese doctor has proven it’s efficacy.”
That was the beginning of a message doing the rounds on WhatsApp this week.
The message was circulated widely, shared hundreds if not thousands of times. The message is also fake and there’s no evidence to show that garlic water protects from the Coronavirus.
The fear around the novel coronavirus has led to dozens of similar fake news stories or WhatsApp forwards. Left unchecked, these messages spread misinformation and can even be life-threatening.
So today we’re separating fact from fake news. What is the reality around the coronavirus now? How deadly is it? How many people have been killed by it? And are Indians at risk?
Guests: Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, Apollo Hospitals
Kritika Goel, WebQoof Lead, The Quint
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)