Fake news adds to confusion on Covid

Hyderabad: The fight against Covid-19 has from the beginning been on multiple fronts. On one side was the virus, and on the other, fake news on the virus. The fight against the virus saw the evolution of the vaccine. But the battles are still on, with the one against fake news acquiring newer dimensions every […]

Hyderabad: The fight against Covid-19 has from the beginning been on multiple fronts. On one side was the virus, and on the other, fake news on the virus.

The fight against the virus saw the evolution of the vaccine. But the battles are still on, with the one against fake news acquiring newer dimensions every now and then, just like the new variants of the virus that keep cropping up. With yet another new list of fake messages exploiting the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, authorities have now launched a helpline to exclusively tackle the problem of misinformation.

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The Press Information Bureau under the aegis of the union government is operating the helpline, with the public being asked to call with Covid related queries 918799711259 or to write to socialmedia@pib.gov.in.

This was made necessary after the latest batch of fake news, which included one video that questioned the efficacy of the Covid19 vaccines in children. The video, which the PIB says makes several fake claims, is shown a group of people holding up posters and saying the vaccines were even killing many children. This was when there have been no such confirmed or reported incident.

Another message that went quite viral was one that was shared along with a link saying that the Education Ministry would provide “free laptops to all people to support virtual learning” during the pandemic.

Then there was the ‘public notice’, purportedly issued by the National Board of Examinations saying that the NEET-PG 2022 examination, scheduled to be held on March 12 this year had been postponed. The notice was fake, the PIB said on its official Twitter handle.

In another viral audio message, the fake news factory triggered panic saying that the Covid-19 vaccines contained graphene oxide which can be dangerous for the respiratory system. There was also another fake order, circulated in the name of the Ministry of Finance, saying that in view of the rising Omicron cases, the ‘dearness allowance and dearness relief’ payable to Central government employees and pensioners would be kept in abeyance.

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