Fact check: Has Japan found a vaccine for the ongoing coronavirus outbreak?

The race to find a vaccine for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has evidently taken over the world. With multiple countries being affected by the virus, many of them are now trying to find a cure in order to flatten the curve of the coronavirus outbreak. But many fake remedies and news about possible vaccines have also found their way to the internet along with the ongoing outbreak. 

Also read: Fact Check: Did 21 million cell phones really disappear in China?

Claim - 

Latest reports are claiming that Japan has indeed found a vaccine to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The drug avigan has reportedly shown some definitive signs of curing the coronavirus. The posts going around on social media claimed that the Avigan vaccine just needs to be approved before becoming available to people. 

Also read:  Fact Check: Will the Coronavirus outbreak end on May 29, 2020?

Rating - False

The avigan mercury drug is not a vaccine for the COVID-19. Instead, avigan is a well-known flu drug from Japan that has been in use for decades. The Avigan medicine helps with common flu but has shown exponential potential when it comes to treating coronavirus patients. As per reports, the drug itself cannot eradicate coronavirus from a person's body but can help curb the symptoms for the coronavirus marginally. A recent study conducted in China recently had proved Avigan's potential to help with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak where 91 per cent of the positive coronavirus patients showcased improvements in lung condition. 

Also read: Fact Check: Does steam inhalation really cure novel Coronavirus?

Origin - 

Various tweets first started circulating about Japan finding a vaccine for the coronavirus which were heavily circulated on social media. People were quick to tweet about the same, some questionable news portals also posted about Japan creating a vaccine for the coronavirus. These posts and tweets were quickly countered with netizens sharing the correct information. 

Google Trends analysis

As fake news about Japan finding a cure for the coronavirus started circulating on the internet, various people quickly searched on Google to confirm the news. This resulted in a surge of Google search results for the same. People mostly searched for the avigan drug and whether Japan has actually found a vaccine for the coronavirus. 

Also read: Fact Check: Was a Malabar civet spotted in India due to the Coronavirus lockdown?

Also read: Fact Check: Were 925 Coronavirus patients healed in Italy in the last 24 hours?