Last week, we published about three scams being applied through WhatsApp, in which messages inform about the distribution of Ambev alcohol gel, free alcohol kits and masks and Netflix accounts with unrestricted access. Subsequently, another scam appeared on the same app, which informs the population about a monthly “citizen assistance” in the amount of R $ 200, which will be paid by the Federal Government to all citizens who apply for the benefit. All of these messages request a registration, where the users’ data will be used for illegal activities. In the past few days, other false information has been created and shared by social networks, even if they contain content that is weird. See what are the main fake news about Coronavirus:
- Canine vaccine for Covid-19 In a video shared, mainly by WhatsApp, a man shows a veterinary vaccination card with the vaccine sticker “Vanguard HTLP 5 / CV-L”. The certificate mentions canine immunization against “coronavirus”. The man tries to link the coronavirus that infects dogs with the Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2, which appeared in 2019 and causes Covid-19 in humans. It is important to note that “coronavirus” is not just a virus, but a family of several viruses, each with its own characteristics and that can trigger different diseases in different species.
- Hemotherapy against Covid-19 A video disseminated on Facebook indicates autohemotherapy as a treatment against Covid-19. The procedure consists of drawing a small amount of blood and injecting it back into the same person’s body. According to Anvisa, hemotherapy is a “clinical practice not recognized by professional class councils, which represents an imminent health risk”. According to Aos Fatos, a Brazilian veracity checking platform for news, the video was shared at least 200,000 times.
- Vinegar as an antiseptic In another video that is circulating on social media, a man who calls himself “self-taught in chemistry” says that vinegar is the best disinfectant against Coronavirus. Even with alcohol being used for decades, in hospitals, in the disinfection of materials and equipment, there are still people able to believe the information passed in a video of some unknown person.
- Gargle with vinegar, water and salt A message posted on social media recommends gargling with vinegar, warm water and salt as a solution to “kill” the virus when it is still “in the throat”. At the moment, no health agency recommends any medication as a treatment for Covid-19. At most, there are tests with some drugs, but none of them have been released for general use, let alone self-medication. TecMundo recommends that its readers do not pass on any information whose content has not been checked.
