An Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic with China and Islam
Debunking COVID-19 Myths
FACT CHECK
Myth: Countries such as Turkey and Qatar are lying about their coronavirus numbers, so it does not affect their tourism industry and they can also attack other countries by further spreading the virus.
Reality: This myth is from Zayed al-Amri speaking on Suadi television. Later on, Saudi officials declared these as rumors and factually inaccurate. The Saudi Arabian government even went as far as to place new repercussions such as jail time and fines for spreading coronavirus conspiracy theories.
Myth: Iran has a cure for COVID-19, they are just hiding it from the rest of the world.
Reality: There were fake reports in Iran that said methanol “cured” COVID-19, but in reality alcohol poisoning has just killed hundreds of people listening to false claims on social media. Methanol is illegal in Iran and the Iranian government has the ability to arrest people from using it.
Myth: Coronavirus came from the Middle East they are to blame, this started back in 2012 with MERS.
Reality: There are many types of the viruses in the corona category. COVID-19 is only one type of coronavirus and MERS is a separate type of coronavirus. MERS stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and killed many people. MERS originated in Saudi Arabia, but it is very much unrelated to COVID-19 and the current pandemic.
Sources:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/coronavirus-Middle-east-viral-misinformation-saudi-iran