News about the new and deadly virus that appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 is everywhere now. Where should you turn for the latest information on a rapidly changing situation? It’s hard to beat the convenience of internet and we know there’s a lot of useful and reliable information online. But there’s also a lot of misinformation too. 

The concern regarding this rapidly spreading virus is well-deserved and the deaths worldwide are truly sobering. Unfortunately, the numbers are likely to rise as efforts to quickly contain its spread have proven unsuccessful. So, it’s particularly important to get reliable information about what is happening and to find out what you can do to protect yourself.

Beware: Misinformation is rampant

Just as the number of people and countries affected by this new virus has spread, so have conspiracy theories and unfounded claims about it. Social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, have seen a number of false and misleading posts including like “Wash milk bags the moment we take it, consider cancelling newspapers, and do not eat ice-creams as it helps in virus spread.” 

Facebook has started marking some posts linking to information and articles about Coronavirus as spam and Twitter updated its safety policy to prohibit tweets that “could place people at a higher risk of transmitting COVID-19.” 

The new policy bans tweets denying expert guidance on the virus, encouraging “fake or ineffective treatments, preventions and diagnostic techniques” as well as tweets that mislead users by pretending to be from health authorities or experts. 

The Karnataka and Union Governments have released round-the-clock Helpline numbers for citizens to help them with any queries or support related to COVID-19: 

Central Helpline number : 011-23978046 

Karnataka Helpline number : 104

Mysuru Helpline number : 1077

Email: [email protected]