New Delhi, April 1, 2020: As the country battles the spread of COVID-19, a lot of misinformation related to the virus has been floating on social media.
From WhatsApp forwards that claim to have come from medical practitioners to self-proclaimed advisors on Twitter, there are many causing damage to the society with false information. In an attempt to cut the clutter around the information, the Government of India has listed some of the most common myths and has busted them using information from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the MyGov website.
The most common myth which has been doing rounds is that coronavirus cannot thrive in hot temperatures and therefore, hot baths and hand dryers are helpful in killing the virus.
However, MyGov.in quoted WHO and denied any such claims. According to the organization, the virus can be transmitted in hot and humid climates and hot baths and hand dryers do not have any impact on them.
Another temperature-related myth is that snow and cold weather can kill the virus which is also false as per the information on the government website.
Though many viral diseases like dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile fever are transmitted through mosquito bites, coronavirus can only be spread through human communication.
One piece of misinformation which is harming the society in the most significant manner is that of pets and animals spreading the disease.