Misinformation about coronavirus spreads on social media
Fears about a novel coronavirus originating in China have fuelled a tsunami of false reports and speculation about the pathogen’s whereabouts and effects, including in Saskatoon.
On Tuesday, The Starphoenix traced false reports of coronavirus circulating on social media and found the misinformation apparently stemmed from a Snapchat account in the Philippines.
A Snapchat post appeared to show a woman dressed as a nurse warning about coronavirus at St.
Paul’s Hospital. It was shared by several Saskatoon-area Facebook accounts by people who interpreted it to mean the sickness had appeared in the province.
But the image wasn’t from St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon or even St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, it’s from the Philippines, whose capital, Manila, has its own hospital of the same name.
Associated accounts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A representative from Providence Health Care, which operates St. Paul’s in Vancouver, said
the B.C. hospital was aware of the post but did not believe it would spread significantly.
In Saskatoon social media circles, it spread quickly and amassed more than 1,000 impressions in less than an hour, according to the social media tracking application Crowdtangle. Some of the posts were deleted shortly after.
Some copies of the image identified by The Starphoenix appear to have been further manipulated, suggesting the original screenshot was being further spread through Snapchat or a similar platform.
Three coronavirus cases had appeared in Canada as of Tuesday afternoon: a husband and wife in Toronto and one presumptive case in British Columbia.
There have been no cases in Saskatchewan. Authorities are monitoring airports, but the Ministry of Health says the risk of infection is very low.
Misinformation about coronavirus
has been rampant on social media, with multiple Twitter accounts spreading conspiracy theories about the virus’s origins and infectability. Buzzfeed News reported Monday that even Chinese state media had spread misinformation about the virus.
On Sunday, Ontario public health officials said they were concerned by potential misinformation about the virus and urged the public to consult trusted news sources and official websites for the latest information.
“People may actually take the wrong course of action and engage in what they believe are protective measures that are in fact not warranted and in some cases may be harmful,” said Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health.