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  • 2020-05-08 (xsd:date)
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  • Hoax circulates that ‘not a single vegetarian has contracted COVID-19 according to the WHO' (en)
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  • Multiple Facebook and Twitter posts shared hundreds of times claim the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that no vegetarian has contracted the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; the WHO denied issuing the report; as of May 2020, health experts have said there is no scientific evidence to suggest that a vegetarian diet prevents infection from COVID-19. The claim was made in a text graphic published on Facebook here on March 14, 2020. The Hindi text translates to English as: Not a single vegetarian has contracted coronavirus in the entire world: WHO Report. Amazing Sanatana Dharma. Hail Hindutva. Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post: Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post The terms Sanatana Dharma and Hindutva both refer to aspects of Hinduism, which promotes a vegetarian diet. Similar claims were also shared on Facebook here , here , here and here ; and on Twitter here , here , here and here . However, the claim is false. The WHO has not made such a statement, Supriya Bezbaruah , the WHO’s India representative, told AFP via WhatsAPP on May 2, 2020. Dr. R.V. Asokan , the secretary general of the Indian Medical Association, also refuted the claim about vegetarians being protected against COVID-19. There is absolutely no truth in this claim. There is no medical evidence that non-vegetarian food is in any way related to covid death susceptibility, he told AFP by phone on May 5, 2020. Since the COVID-19 outbreak first emerged in early 2020, health experts have stressed that people should maintain a healthy diet to avoid a weakened immune system due to poor nutrition. The WHO states here and here that meat, if properly prepared, can be consumed during the COVID-19 pandemic. (en)
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