Fake news is rife in the social media dominated world that we live in today.
A close friend forwards a message from a ‘reputable’ source and that person goes on to forward that message. Soon, even bogus news will seem factual to some.
The case of the novel coronavirus is no different. In recent weeks, various fake news has plagued the world.
For instance, false rumours of the Wuhan virus being engineered in the laboratory made the rounds on the internet.
In Singapore, gym chain Fitness First was falsely rumoured to have shut down its gym because of the Wuhan virus.
But thus far, the most bogus claim of the year award has to be that being infected with the Wuhan virus will turn you into brainless zombies:
M’sia Has to Inform People That Wuhan Virus Won’t Turn People into Zombies
Malaysia’s government had to step forward to clarify that the coronavirus will not cause infected patients to act like zombies.
They were forced to take to social media to debunk the myth surrounding the Wuhan virus.
Apparently, some Malaysians have been watching way too many episodes of The Walking Dead.
This is because some social media users in Malaysia have somehow linked the deadly virus to the walking dead and subsequently… zombies.
Malaysia’s Health Ministry posted on twitter and said, “The claim that individuals infected with this virus will behave like zombies is not true… Patients can recover.”
Really? Are you sure none of us will turn into zombies if we get infected with the virus?
Will we suddenly find brains tasty?
Police Arrest Six People For Spreading Fake News
Various social media posts in Malaysia have falsely stated the number of deaths or confirmed cases of the Wuhan virus in the country.
According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia statement, the police have since arrested six people for spreading the misinformation.
On Thursday, a 28-year-old woman the police looked into the case of a woman who made “improper use of network facilities.”
If convicted, she can be fined up to RM50,000 (~S$16,637), jailed for a year or both.