NEW DELHI – The whatsApp video guy says he saw him painting himself: a few drops of lemon juice on the COVID-19 nose.
“If you practice what I’m going to say in faith, you’ll be released from the crown in five seconds,” said the man, dressed in classic devotee clothes. “This lemon will take you out of the virus like a vaccine. “
Fake remedies. Terrifying stories about the side effects of vaccines, unsubstantiated claims that Muslims are ingesting the virus, fueled by anguish, depression and mistrust in government, rumors and deceptions through word of mouth and on social media in India, exacerbating the country’s humanitarian crisis.
“Panic has led to a pletlet of misinformation,” said Rahul Namboori, co-founder of Fact Crescendo, an independent data verification organization in India.
Although remedies such as lemon juice may seem harmless, such claims can have fatal consequences if they cause others to skip vaccines or forget other guidelines.
In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India had “saved humanity from a wonderful disaster by dominating the crown well. “Life began to resume, as did participation in cricket matches, devoted pilgrimages and political rallies of the Hindu nationalist party of Modi.
Four months later, and deaths have soared, vaccine deployment in the country has failed, and public anger and mistrust have increased.
“All the theories of propaganda, misinformation and conspiracy that I have noticed in recent weeks have been very, very political,” said Sumitra Badrinathan, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania who studies incorrect information in India. “Some other people use it to criticize the government, while others use it. “
Distrust of Western vaccines and fitness care is also generating incorrect information about fictitious remedies as claims about classic remedies.
Satyanarayan Prasad watched the video about lemon juice and believed it. The 51-year-old resident of the state of Uttar Pradesh is a fashion medicine and has a theory as to why his country’s fitness experts are asking for vaccines.
“If you approve lemon drops as a remedy, the Array . . . the rupees they spent on vaccines will be wasted,” Prasad said.
Vijay Sankeshwar, a prominent businessman and former politician, repeated the claim about lemon juice, stating that two drops in the nostrils would accumulate oxygen levels in the body.
Although vitamin C is for human health and immunity, there is no evidence that lemon intake fights coronavirus.
The claim extends to the Indian diaspora.
“They have the thing that if you drink lemon water every day, you won’t be affected by the virus,” said Emma Sachdev, a resident of Clinton, New Jersey, whose prolonged circle of relatives lives in India.
Sachdev said several relatives have been infected, but continue to disobey social estification regulations, believing that a stopover in the temple will do so.
India has also experienced the same incorrect information about vaccines and the effects of vaccine aspects as in the world.
Last month, popular Tamil actor Vivek died two days after being vaccinated against COVID-19. The hospital where he died said Vivek had a complex illness at the center, however, his death took over the conflicting parties to the vaccine as evidence that the government is hiding side effects. .
Much of the incorrect information is circulating on WhatsApp, which has more than 400 million users in India. Unlike more open sites like Facebook or Twitter, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, is an encrypted platform that allows users to exchange messages privately.
Misreconceptions online “possibly came from an unsuspecting neighbor who is not looking to cause harm,” said Badrinathan, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. “New Internet users may not even realize that the data is fake. of misdata is new to them. “
Online deceptions have had fatal effects in 2018, when at least 20 other people were killed through inflamed crowds by messages about alleged gangs of kidnappers.
WhatsApp said in a statement that it is running to restrict misleading or harmful content through public fitness agencies such as the World Health Organization and data verification organizations. The platform has also added safeguards that restrict the delivery of channel messages and direct users to express themselves online. information.
The service also allows users in India and other countries to use their service to locate vaccine data.
“False statements can deter others from getting vaccinated, receiving medical assistance, or taking the virus seriously,” Namboori said of Fact Crescendo. “What’s at stake has never been this big. “