With 173 registered cases, four deaths in the country, India is taking preventive measures to control the spread of the virus. The World Health Organisation has constantly been spreading awareness and busting myths around COVID-19 but a lot of fresh misinformation continues to be viral on social media which majorly focuses on the cure of the virus. Some of them quite weird, others not thought of. BOOM brings to you the top 10 bizarre claims and headlines around COVID-19 that went viral. We have fact checked some of them. The rest were too bizarre for us to even attempt a fact check. We trust you to figure them out.
1. Interview With 'Coronavirus'
TV show host Jaber Al Qarmouty interviewed Coronavirus on his variety show in Egypt. Yes, you read that right. The interview which took place on March 9th had an Alien-like green coloured creature (Coronavirus) and focused on the concerns that it is facing on social media, like his portrayal on social media and the things people are accusing him of doing on WhatsApp chats. Read all about it here.
2. Personal Bubble To Kill Coronavirus
Looks like this architect has found the solution to the Coronavirus outbreak across the globe. The Fox News report talks about a concept product by Chinese architect Sun Dayong that could protect a person from novel coronavirus. "The coronavirus will be killed by temperatures of 56 degrees Celsius," mentions the report as explained by Dayong. Dayong's Instagram even mentions that the ultraviolet radiation network on the surface of the device can heat up to sterilize the surrounding environment, turning contact a way to kill, rather than spread, the virus. Click here to read the article.
3. Man Travels With His Sink
A London overground passenger was seen travelling with his kitchen sink and wearing a motorcycle helmet to protect himself from Coronavirus. He was even seen carrying out the hygiene routine where he pulled out a bottle of soap and started washing his hands after which he put on rubber gloves and covered them in hand gel, offering the people on both his sides some hand gel as well. Read the article here.
4. Coronavirus-Inspired Nail Art
Hashtag 'coronavirusnails' is gaining traction on Instagram with some users sharing the pictures of their nails decorated to look like mask-clad faces, disinfectant spray and many even painted what looks like the microscopic version of Coronavirus. One beautician even showed off the measures she was taking to protect herself against the disease. Read more about this here.
5. Is This What Coronavirus Looks Like?
Multiple social media users posted these images with claims that this is the Coronavirus when magnified 2,600 times. The image is viral with a similar caption in different languages. But in reality, it is a close up photo of a weevil, a type of beetle insect, is being shared as the COVID-19 virus with tips on 'getting rid of it'. Read all about the insect here.
6. Cow Urine Drinking Party To Ward Off Coronavirus
A Hindu group hosted a cow urine drinking party on Saturday as they believe it wards off the coronavirus, as many Hindus consider the cow sacred and some drink cow urine believing it has medicinal properties, reported Reuters. But there is no evidence as to how cow urine can help with Coronavirus.
7. Man Ate Bat, Hospitalised
Social media posts suggest that the man in the image was hospitalised after eating a bat following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan. But there is no link between the man in the viral photo and Coronavirus. This particular photo of the man with black marks on his face was circulated on a fund-raising page for a lung-disease. Read more details about the same here.
8. Drinking Alcohol Prevents Coronavirus
A newspaper clipping from Hindi daily Dopehar Ka Saamna suggesting that consumption of alcohol will keep the Coronavirus at bay is misleading. The headline of the article when translated from Hindi reads "Why cry now? Corona will be packed with one peg of alcohol." The article mentions that researchers have suggested alcohol for keeping the virus away. The headline and the first paragraph of the article indicate that consuming alcohol will also keep the Coronavirus away. It is not clear whether this article is satirical as the lede and the headline mention drinking of alcohol while further in the story the article mentions disinfectants. Read all the facts in detail here.
9. Disinfection Rainbow Cause A Rainbow?
Video showing a formation of a rainbow as a truck sprays moisture is going viral on social media with claims that the truck is disinfecting a street in China in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus. But the video is actually old and has nothing to do with the virus outbreak. The truck was actually spraying in China's Sichuan province for dust control purposes. Read the details here.
10. Tom Hanks Gifted With A Volleyball
A photo of Hollywood actor Tom Hanks holding a volleyball has gone viral on social media alongside claims that it shows him in quarantine at a hospital in Australia after contracting the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The posts also claim that the hospital staff gifted Hanks the ball as a tribute to his character Chuck Noland in the 2000 film 'Cast Away', who "befriends" a volleyball. AFP FactCheck found that the claim is false. The image has been doctored using a 2015 photograph of Hanks and a stock photo of a hospital ward; the doctored photo emerged on a satirical website. Read more details here.