CLAIM
An audio clip is being widely shared on WhatsApp in which a man can be heard saying that he has got information on a personal level from WHO, China and Italy that from 27 March, the situation is going to be become very serious. The audio clip has been attributed to Medanta Hospital’s MD.
The man in the audio clip can be heard saying that the number of cases are going to increase drastically and urges everybody to not leave their homes even if they want to buy essential goods. He further says that the situation will become better after 14 April. As a preventive measure, he advises people to maintain 6 feet distance from people, do hot water gargles twice a day, among others.
The Quint received a query about the veracity of the claim on our WhatsApp helpline.
MEDANTA HOSPITAL CALLS IT FAKE
The Quint got in touch with Medanta Hospital who said that the audio clip is being falsely attributed to Dr Naresh Trehan, Medanta’s Chairman and MD. A source in the team also said that the voice heard in the audio clip is not the same as that of Dr Trehan.
Further, Medanta’s team shared an official statement with us which stated that “spreading false messages and creating panic is not only irresponsible but also a punishable offence under the law.”
A source in WHO also confirmed to The Quint that the said audio clip is fake.
ARE SALT WATER GARGLES A CURE FOR COVID-19?
The audio further mentions advice to do salt water gargles and drink hot water as a cure for the novel coronavirus.
The Quint had earlier spoken with Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, who had said that there’s “no medical basis for such claims.”
“The claim that hot water gargles can treat coronavirus is completely wrong and there is no medical basis for such claims.” he said.
On being asked whether such practices help in anyway, he had said, “Although drinking hot water can be beneficial for a sore throat it generally helps with fighting certain symptoms and is not a medical treatment. But again, there’s no medical evidence to say that it is effective specifically against COVID-19.”
The Quint had earlier debunked another WhatsApp message attributed to Dr Naresh Trehan that falsely claimed that India is soon going to declare a national emergency and hence people should stock up on essentials such as milk, rations, medicines and cash.
You can read all our fact-checked stories on coronavirus here.
(The story has been updated with WHO’s clarification on the audio clip.)
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