A few weeks ago, the heartwarming photograph above of an Italian couple, allegedly both doctors, went viral. News circulated that the couple had died after treating 134 COVID-19 patients, and the iconic picture and its sad news became an Internet sensation, with thousands of social media users sharing emotional comments.

Republic TV investigated the veracity of this photograph and its accompanying details and found that the story was absolutely false. The truth is that this baseless rumour that had exploded on social media is a picture clicked by photographer Emilio Morennati for Associated Press at Spain’s Barcelona Airport. Morennati had clicked a picture of a couple kissing at Barcelona Airport when US President Trump announced restrictive COVID-19 travel measures to the U.S. The Google trend analysis of this story shows that this rumour picked up attention in India on March 22, 2020, with maximum searches occurring on March 24, 2020.

In his March 10 report in India Live, Al Jazeera, Kunal Purohit says, “Through its vast social media networks, a wave of inaccuracy is spreading on coronavirus, which causes an illness known as COVID-19. From offering unverified home remedies to tackle the virus, to floating fake advisories asking people to avoid foods such as ice cream and chicken, and sharing conspiracy theories, Indians’ phones are being flooded with misinformation.”

Information is pouring in, and WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms are being flooded with messages and posts. One such message, claiming to be an advisory from UNICEF, asked people to avoid ice creams and other cold foods and recommends the frequent washing of clothes because "the coronavirus remains active on fabric for nine hours.” Another message recommended heavy Vitamin C intake, and yet another message listed a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) detection test for the virus. Messages have warned people to "not hold your thirst because once your membrane in your throat is dried, the virus will invade into your body within 10 minutes." Another more sinister, viral message listed large religious congregations, proudly claiming that they have never been sources of epidemics, alleging that "weirdest eating habits of some of the countries should be banned [sic]," and ending with extolling the virtues of a particular religion, usually their own.

Here in Mumbai, PTI reported on March 17, “Panic gripped the Maharashtra secretariat in South Mumbai on Tuesday amid rumours that a senior official has tested positive to novel coronavirus infection, prompting authorities to launch a sanitisation drive in the seven-story building.” Later it was ascertained that the officer had tested negative for COVID-19.

On March 24, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope slammed rumours that claimed that newspapers were spreading the coronavirus. In a video statement, Tope said, “There are numerous rumours being circulated that corona is being spread through social media and people are getting influenced by it. Corona is not spread through newspapers. There is no scientific truth in it.”

On April 14, in a repetition of what happened in Delhi weeks ago, thousands gathered near Bandra station in Mumbai after a rumour that long-distance trains were running. Hundreds of migrant workers swarmed onto streets near Mumbai’s Bandra railway station, and demanded facilities to return home. This happened two days after the state government extended the lockdown in areas under its jurisdiction, and just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a similar announcement extending the nationwide lockdown. The gathering of so many people at one place defeated the objective of ‘social distancing’, which is considered key in preventing the spread of COVID-19. The Maharashtra authorities have claimed that a WhatsApp rumour regarding trains sparked the gathering.

On 22 April, in Rasta Peth, Pune, Dr. Megha Shrikant Vyas-Sharma suffered a heart-attack and passed away. WhatsApp and other social media messages connected the death of Dr. Megha to COVID-19. The Sakal newspaper investigated these claims and reported that the cause of the doctor’s death was a heart attack, and not COVID-19, contrary to claims circulating online. Dr. Shrikant Vyas-Sharma’s family has had to face deeply distressing times and tremendous social pressure due to the baseless and malicious rumour-mongering until a clarification of the truth was finally reported.

Recently, a viral audio clip on social media claimed that vegetable sellers were licking vegetables to spread Coronavirus. The rumour spread so fast that the government had to intervene and issue a statement claiming that in fact, it was the audio clip that was spreading fake news.

The latest news item is a 25 minute clip called “The Plandemic,” which has been taken off YouTube on May 6 for violating the Google-owned site’s community guidelines. The video has been viewed more than 1.4 million times. Forbes magazine has pointed out that medical conspiracy theories have increased in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the video “Plandemic,” Dr. Judy Mikovits is heavily criticising Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the White House COVID-19 Task Force. Although YouTube has removed the video, Facebook has not yet removed it from Mikki Wiillis’s page. While the censorship of fake news on social media platforms during a pandemic has turned into a hotly debated issue, Dr Mikovits tweeted, “ I am so honoured to be featured in Mikki Willis’ upcoming amazing film! Anticipation of this film is getting a huge response.”

In the Washington Post’s Deputy Editorial page, Jackson Diehl wrote: “Truth is the first casualty in war, goes the old saying; the corollary might be that journalists are often collateral damage. This has probably never been more universally true than in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus. Across the world, both autocratic and democratic governments have responded to the epidemic by restricting information, criminalizing independent reporting and harassing reporters -- verbally and sometimes physically.”

The world, India included, is facing difficult times. Health care workers are in a daily fight against the virus, law enforcement is overworked, and municipal workers are engaged in keeping our cities and towns clean. Meanwhile, many among us are sitting at home and participating in rumour-mongering by forwarding and circulating malicious information and fake news about COVID-19.

It is high time that we act promptly to curb rumour-mongering and stop circulating or forwarding any information that has not been verified by legitimate news outlets. We need to ensure that we access information that is authentic and reliable. COVID-19 has brought the world together. Let us not increase the tremendous pressure on those doing battle against the virus on our behalf, daily and often alone. We owe them and ourselves more responsible behavior.