ANTIVIRUS

COVID-19 HAS BECOME AN INFODEMIC OF FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. TOI HELPS YOU ZAP THE TRENDING LIES

25.04.2020

Can’t detect Chinese goods with barcode

Many Australians blame China for the coronavirus pandemic, and some are venting their anger by boycotting Chinese goods. The Australian Associated Press says a Facebook post explaining how to distinguish between Chinese and Indian goods by their barcodes has gone viral. It claims code numbers starting with the digits 690-699 show Chinese manufacturers, while 890 stands for India. AAP found the code-country correlation is correct, but it only shows the country where a company has registered its barcodes. The same company may have factories in China and Australia, and the boycotted product might have been made in its Australian factory.

False info on Brazil government site

In China, the virus was spread mainly by patients with no symptoms. The journal ‘Science’ estimates two-thirds of all cases are caused by them. Yet, the website of Brazil’s health ministry until recently claimed ‘asymptomatic’ patients cannot infect others, the fact-checking group ‘Lupa’ reports. Although the ministry has corrected its information, such mistakes by government agencies lend weight to false theories floating on social media.