Global News

Geneva: The World Health Organization has taken an initiative to combat misinformation about the Coronavirus on social media platforms.

WHO is collaborating with Google to ensure that people get the real facts from WHO first when they search for information about the new virus that recently emerged in China.

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the opening of WHO’s executive board meeting on Monday that social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Tencent and TikTok have also taken steps to limit the spread of misinformation and rumors about the virus and outbreak that first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December and has now spread to 23 other countries.

“To that end, we have worked with Google to make sure people searching for information about coronavirus see WHO information at the top of their search results,” he said.

The WHO executive board, which is starting a six-day meeting, is likely to hold a special technical session on the coronavirus Tuesday (today).

Since the outbreak began, a number of misleading claims and hoaxes about the virus have circulated online. They include false conspiracy theories that the virus was created in a lab and that vaccines have already been manufactured, exaggerations about the number of sick and dead, and claims about bogus cures.

On Sunday, WHO lamented that the outbreak and response have been accompanied “by a massive ‘infodemic’ — an overabundance of information — some accurate and some not — that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”

The report said WHO, the U.N. health agency, was working “24 hours a day to identify the most prevalent rumors that can potentially harm the public’s health, such as false prevention measures or cures.”

“These myths are then refuted with evidence-based information,” it said, noting that WHO is providing myth busters on its social media channels in China and beyond.

Tedros also reiterated his decision last week to classify the virus outbreak as a global emergency, saying the move was prompted by increased human-to-human spread of the virus to numerous countries and the fear it could have a significant impact on developing countries with weaker health systems.

The death toll in an outbreak of a new coronavirus in China has climbed to 426, and more than 19000 people have been infected, causing a global alarm.

More 2345 cases of coronavirus have been reported in China. Most traumas of the deadly virus have occurred in Hubei Province, China. The province with a population of 60 million is completely locked down. All schools and business centers in Tianjing, China, have been closed until further notice. The decision was taken by the authorities follwoing the worsening situation in the country.

The rapidly spreading virus has created fear and anxiety around the world. Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the spread of a deadly new virus is accelerating and country is at a ‘critical stage’. Following the worsening situation, the Chinese President contacted the World Health Organization for medical assistance.

Chinese authorities have also instructed citizens to postpone thier marriage ceremony, while funeral ceremonies were also conducted on a smaller scale.

World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency on Thursday. The whole world needs to take action against virus in China,” said WHO spokeperson.

World Health Organization (WHO) will send a team of international experts to fight China’s coronavirus. American health experts will also be the part of the team.

The virus, which started in Wuhan city in Hubei province last month, has since spread to other major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Situation other than China:

Other than China, the cases have also been found in Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, France and the United States. 1 case of Coronavirus has also been reported from Nepal. Finland and Sweden also confirmed each 1 coronavirus case in the country.

A man in the Philippines has died from the Wuhan coronavirus — the first time a death has been reported outside mainland China since the outbreak began in December.

Two people have been identified with coronavirus in United Kingdom while coronavirus has been confirmed in three person in the southern state of Kerala in India. 1 of the three patient with confirmed coronavirus infection has a travel history from China, the state govt said.

In USA’s Washington DC, three more medical cases feared to be revealed while three people undergo medical examination. Two cases were reported in Houston and Seattle while another case was reported in Florida. Five cases of coronavirus were confirmed from Arizona, Illinois, California and Washington.

Reportedly, another case of Coronavirus has been confirmed in one person in Washington, while one coronavirus case has been reported in Boston, United States. With more three cases of coronavirus in California, the total number of patients in California has raised to six and eleven across the country.

In Canada, coronavirus was confirmed in one person, who recently returned from Wuhan.

In France, the number of Coronavirus victims has increased to six. Ministry of Health France (Ministère des Affaires sociales et de la santé) also confirmed the cases of coronavirus in the country.

Vietnam confirmed eighth case of coronavirus. The Vietnamese citizen returned home from Wuhan on January 17, authorities confirmed.

There are two confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Russia. Following the threat of virus, Russia has closed its entire border to the east to stop the spread of coronavirus.

In Germany, the number of people affected by the coronavirus has increased to ten.

Italy has confirmed its first cases of the deadly coronavirus, shortly after the outbreak was declared a global health emergency.

Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, revealed that two Chinese tourists have tested positive for the virus. He has since ordered all air traffic to be blocked between Italy and China.

Italy is the fourth European country, after France, Finland and Germany, to have confirmed cases.

In Taiwan, more cases of Corona virus have been reported, totaling eight while at least three people were shifted to hospital on suspicion of the Coronavirus in India’s capital city.

First cases of the deadly coronavirus in the Middle East have been confirmed in the United Arab Emirates. The infected patients are four members of a Chinese family that had traveled from Wuhan, China to UAE, the country’s Ministry of Health and Community Protection said.

Meanwhile, UK-based researchers warned of a real possibility that China will not be able to contain the virus.

Travel restrictions came in place in several affected states of China. From Sunday, private vehicles will be banned from central districts of Wuhan.

Wuhan and more than a dozen other cities in the province were locked down in a rapidly expanding quarantine effort marked by transport shutdowns and other restrictions on movement.

Chinese authorities advised its people to stop travel into and out of China to stop the outbreak that has killed fifty-six people so far.

The center of outbreak, Wuhan, is home to around 8.9 million people. The health officials are taking significant measures to contain the virus, while instructing people to follow precautionary measures.

The health authorities declared country at the “most critical stage” of prevention and control.

The outbreak came as millions of people across China are travelling within the country for the Lunar New Year week-long holiday, whereas thousands are also travelling abroad to their friends and families.