Coronavirus: What misinformation has spread in Africa?
Posted: 07 Apr 2020, 12:20
African countries are experiencing a rise in the number of new coronavirus cases, and many governments are now enforcing strict social distancing measures.
As they prepare for a surge in cases, misleading information has been spreading throughout the continent.
1. Misleading video about virus testing in South Africa
In South Africa, a video claiming testing kits were contaminated was widely shared on social media.
In the video, a man calls on South Africans to refuse swab tests, which check if someone currently has the virus.
Covid-19 testing in South Africa
Covid-19 testing in South Africa
The clip begins with the man having a swab stuck up his nose. "Do not under any circumstances allow them to test you. There's a possibility that the swabs are contaminated with Covid-19," he says.
He alleges that people globally are saying the swabs are being used to spread the virus, and refers to reports in the UK that test kits there were contaminated.
But this is misleading - the tests were giving false positive readings, it wasn't that the swabs were contaminated with the actual virus.
