“Black people are immune.”  

“You are only affected if you are over 65.”  

“It’s like the flu.”

These three statements have one thing in common: They are myths and are not true.

These myths, and others, are circulating the internet right now. The danger of these myths may be as severe as the virus itself. In response to the black people myth, Professor Jen Caudle of the Rowan University School of Medicine said “One of my biggest concerns with this myth is that if we, as black people, are thinking that we can’t get coronavirus, it may make us take fewer precautions.”

Social media in recent years has made it hard for many fact seekers out there, and the government is not helping. According to The Hill, President Trump said these exact words at a briefing: “So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light — and I think you said that hasn’t been checked but you’re going to test it,” Trump said. “And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside of the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you’re going to test that too. Sounds interesting.” The ultraviolet light and the president’s wondering a loud if cleaning agents could be injected into the body are dangerous to the body.

President Trump has used white house briefings to push theories and cures that have been contradicted by health experts, and some people have taken it as truth.  For example, according to the Kansas Poison Control Center, there is a 40% increase in calls about cleaning agents being digested. 

Once on the internet and in social media, people spread the wrong information until it becomes virtually a “fact.”

Facebook has been setting measures against false facts, but not all sites are. In this time it is important to make sure you get your facts from reliable sources such as the CDC or the WHO. Stay safe and think smart.