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Published 21:00 IST, April 2nd 2020

Fact Check: Did Delhi AIIMS doctor share a list of symptoms for coronavirus?

Fact check: A message about a Delhi AIIMS doctor sharing a comparative list of symptoms with coronavirus to other diseases has been proven to be fake.

Reported by: Amir Khollam
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Fake messages being circulated on WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms are evidently creating unnecessary paranoia in people's minds. Various pieces of doctored and fake news find their way to WhatsApp groups which are often unverified and untrue. It is important that people know which message they read on a social media platform. 

Also read: Fact Check: Will helicopters be used to spray disinfectants to eradicate Coronavirus?

Claim - 

One of the recent message circulated on WhatsApp and other social media platforms are claiming that a certain doctor from AIIMS Delhi has shared a list of the symptoms of coronavirus. The message being circulated on the internet features a list of symptoms which act as a guideline for people to self diagnose coronavirus. The same forwarded message has found its way to various social media platforms. 

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Also read: Fact Check: Did Italy seek war damages from China due to the Coronavirus outbreak?

Rating - False

The official website of AIIMS Delhi has not issued any public statement regarding the comparison of symptoms of coronavirus and flu, common cold, etc. AIIMS has listed the names and e-mail addresses of their staff member but the certain doctor noted in the fake messages does not seem to be the part of the pathology department od AIIMS. Symptoms for the coronavirus have been listed by various official authorities in India and globally. People should only rely on official updates given out by governing bodies in order to curb the spread of misinformation. 

Origin - 

The message first started circulating on WhatsApp which was later picked up by various questionable content pages on Facebook and other social media platforms. The message was shared massively on WhatsApp as people reportedly started to believe that the message is genuine because of the credentials of AIIMS written under it. The message was also seen being shared majorly on Facebook also. 

Also read: Fact Check: Are people really stuck in the pilgrimage centre of Vaishno Devi?

Google Trends analysis - 

As the message started circulating on WhatsApp, people were quick to search whether it had any credibility. This resulted in a surge of searches on Google for the same. Check it out below - 

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Also read: Fact Check: Is the video of a man smearing sweat on an elevator, from Hong Kong?

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Updated 21:00 IST, April 2nd 2020

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