As the panic regarding the mysterious yet fatal coronavirus has been increasing ever since it’s spread to various countries apart from China. From spikes in face mask prices to home remedies to cure coronavirus going viral on social media, people are exploiting the situation for all kinds of reasons.
Dr. Vanesha Varik, the chairperson of the infection control department at Aster Hospital in Mankhool, said fake news about miracle cures could prove dangerous as vulnerable people could stop taking precautions after believing these social media posts.
These rumors and include meditating, ginger tea, doing yoga, taking homeopathic and much more. To this, the UAE doctors have responded and stressed that such myths will do more harm than good.
“Nothing has yet been found to be a proven cure for coronavirus. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) is looking for a cure but has not yet found it or a vaccine. It is.” wrong to say that things like ginger tea or yoga cure the virus or give false reassurance. “
“There is a lot of awareness right now, people are washing their hands, wearing masks and avoiding crowded places – which is the right thing to do given the upcoming epidemic,” said Dr. Varik.“ But if you simply believe that there is such a simple cure, you may stop following these precautions
“Second, if your infection worsens because you blindly rely on it and don’t get to the hospital in time, you worsen yourself. Also, contact with so many people during the infection period can cause it to spread further.”
The Bad:
An increase in human health anxiety is causing the rapid spread of online rumors suggesting all kinds of miracle cures for the coronavirus, a Dubai-based psychologist said.
Dr. Sneha John, a psychologist at LifeWorks Holistic Counseling Center, said residents should follow their doctor’s instructions and seek advice from official government sources as the hype surrounding the coronavirus increases.
“Some of the reasons why people fall for fake news are confirmation bias – then we have information that supports our existing beliefs. It is when people are convinced that they will get sick if there is such a deadly infection and they need it to be as attentive as possible,“ said Dr. John.
Importance of Taking Precautions for Coronavirus
Dr. Varik added that while people shouldn’t fall for rumors, they should still take precautions as the coronavirus is a global health emergency. “Right now, you definitely have to take basic precautions.”
“Don’t believe forwarded messages, rather look for verified information in credible newspapers or from hospitals or experts,” she added.
Some tweets that have crowded twitter are as follows:
One cure for the Coronavirus is the drink boiled garlic water and garlic. 8 peeled garlics with 7 cups water, boil water with garlics for 3 minutes. #Coronaviruscure https://t.co/auN7svqFcC
— Dealshop (@Vazeeam) January 28, 2020
Some medicines are also claiming to cure coronavirus
Yo I'm about to be Rich #Cornoavirus #coronaviruscure pic.twitter.com/6NFG7nzR66
— Matt Weaver 222 (@MVHmattweaver) February 1, 2020
