Fact Check: No confirmed case of coronavirus reported in Purnia so far; fake post getting viral

A viral post on social media claims that Coronavirus has reached Purnia, a district in Bihar. The post further states that the coronavirus-infected patient reached to Dr. Vinod Kumar but he wasn’t given the treatment. He was later referred to Bhagalpur. It further states that one should avoid meat and fish for 3 months and wear mask to protect yourself from Coronavirus. Vishvas News investigated and found that the viral post is fake.

Claim

A post shared on social media by a user named Saroj Chaurasia reads:
Coronavirus has reached Purnia, a district in Bihar. The coronavirus-infected patient reached to Dr. Vinod Kumar but he wasn’t given the treatment. He was later referred to Bhagalpur. It further states that one should avoid meat and fish for 3 months and wear mask to protect yourself from Coronavirus.” The archived version of the post can be checked here.

Investigation

Vishvas News started its investigation by contacting Dr. Madhusudhan Prasad, Cheif Medical Officer of Purnia. We asked him regarding the matter. He said, “There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Purnia. This is surely a fake news circulated on social media“.

We further searched and found a denial letter by Dr. Vinod Kumar whose name was used in the misleading post. Here is the text in the post: “I, Dr. Vinod Kumar from Purnea district, would like to convey that some anti-social elements are spreading false news in with my name that a coronavirus-infected patient is referred to Bhagalpur by me. This is absolutely baseless and false information. This is aimed at targeting me in some ways. No such patient ever visited my clinic,” the Hindi letter, which is dated February 7, 2020.

Vishvas News spoke to Dr. Vinod Kumar. He said: “This letter is genuine and is issued by him. No such thing happened in Purnia. Anti-social elements are spreading misinformation using his name.”

Second Claim

The viral post also states that avoid fish and meat for three months. As per World Health Organization (WHO), standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

There is no mention of avoiding fish and meat for 3 months. Here is the live tracker of Coronavirus cases.

Disclaimer: The #CoronavirusFacts database records fact-checks published since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic and its consequences are constantly evolving and data that was accurate weeks or even days ago might have changed. Remember to check the date when the fact-check you are reading was published before sharing it.

Conclusion: The post claiming that coronavirus infected patient reached Bihar and is not given treatment is fake. Health authorities dismiss the hoax report. Further, WHO has also not recommended to avoid fish and meat. It recommended thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Wearing mask is, however, advisable.

Tags

• Coronavirus