Fact Check: This Viral Message On Coronavirus Is Falsely Attributed To UNICEF
The viral post attributed to UNICEF claiming that coronavirus survives in hands for 10 minutes is misleading. Though it is a good practice to keep a sanitizer along and clean your hands but there is no evidence that coronavirus stays in hands for 10 minutes. Also, the viral post is not issued by UNICEF.
- By: Urvashi Kapoor
- Published: May 7, 2020 at 06:03 PM
- Updated: May 9, 2020 at 03:08 PM
A viral post on social states that Coronavirus stays in hands for 10 minutes so putting a sanitizer in your pocket meets the purpose. The post is attributed to UNICEF. Vishvas News investigated and found that the viral post is misleading. Though it is a good practice to keep a sanitizer along and clean your hands but there is no evidence that coronavirus stays in hands for 10 minutes. Also, the viral post is falsely attributed to UNICEF.
Claim
The viral post on Facebook reads: Coronavirus lives on the hands for 10 minutes, so putting a sanitizer in the pocket meets the purpose of prevention. The post is attributed to UNICEF as the source. The archived version of the post can be checked here.
Investigation
The viral message was attributed to UNICEF as its source.
Vishvas News searched the same on the website of UNICEF and also on its social handles. We did not find any message on UNICEF’s website that coronavirus stays in hands for 10 minutes.
We spoke to Ms. Alka Gupta, Communication Specialist at UNICEF India regarding the viral message. She said: “This information is not from UNICEF and should not be attributed to the organization. Thanks for bringing to our attention.”
The message is falsely attributed to UNICEF.
As per WHO, studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).
There is no evidence proving that coronavirus survives in hands for 10 minutes as stated in the viral post.
WHO recommends to always clean hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.
The post is shared on Facebook by a page named TheKaam.com. When we scanned the page we found that the page has 527 followers till date.
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 viral post attributed to UNICEF claiming that coronavirus survives in hands for 10 minutes is misleading. Though it is a good practice to keep a sanitizer along and clean your hands but there is no evidence that coronavirus stays in hands for 10 minutes. Also, the viral post is not issued by UNICEF.
- Claim Review : Coronavirus lives on the hands for 10 minutes, so putting a sanitizer in the pocket meets the purpose of prevention, Source: UNICEF
- Claimed By : FB Page: TheKaam.com
- Fact Check : Misleading
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