This message (see screengrab below), appearing to have been ‘forwarded many times’ on WhatsApp claims that Singapore’s Ministry of Health apparently changed its COVID-19 treatment protocol, by allegedly proposing the use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories or anti-coagulants such as Aspirin, Apronik or Paracetamol.
The message further claims that COVID-19 is caused by bacterium. This, it attributes to an autopsy allegedly done by Singapore doctors, adding that the doctors supposedly found that COVID-19 is “nothing but an intravascular coagulation (blood clot).”
Background
Since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in December 2019, a number of claims surrounding the pandemic have been making rounds online. Piga Firimbi has looked into these claims which include allegations that the COVID-19 virus dies when exposed to sunlight as well as claims that getting a new tattoo is a cure to COVID-19.
Verification
According to the World Health Organization’s Mythbusters publication, COVID-19 is caused by a virus and not bacterium as claimed on the WhatsApp post. The virus that causes COVID-19 is in the family of viruses called Coronaviridae. The WHO publication adds that in cases where an individual is infected by COVID-19, they could also develop a bacterial infection as a complication. For this, antibiotics can be prescribed as treatment.
To explain this further, WHO’s Dr. Hanan Balkhy says;
“with COVID, there is a large expansion in the number of patients with respiratory disease, where patients may feel the urge to take an antibiotic, while in reality, COVID is not a bacterium, it is a virus.”
Singapore’s government also issued a statement addressing these claims on June 15, 2021. The statement said:
“The allegations are all false and the message did not originate from the Ministry of Health, Singapore. Earlier versions of this message, citing countries such as Italy and Russia, instead of Singapore have been exposed as untrue.”
The statement further denied allegations that doctors from Singapore performed an autopsy on a COVID-19 patient. (see the statement below)
This message is a replication of identical posts previously shared on social media, one attributing the Russian government as debunked by Reuters, and another attributing the government of Italy as debunked by Piga Firimbi.
Verdict
NO, the Ministry of Health, Singapore did not change COVID-19 treatment, neither did its doctors carry out an autopsy on a COVID-19 patient.
This story was produced by Africa Uncensored in partnership with Code for Africa with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie.
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