Coronavirus: WHO enlists internet giants in war on rumours as mainland China death toll hits 361
- Agency chief says social media companies have taken steps to limit misinformation
- Latest numbers from China’s National Health Commission show 57 deaths on Sunday, up from 45 a day earlier, as new cases rise to 2,829, up from 2,590
The World Health Organisation said on Monday that it was working around the clock with internet and social media giants to combat widespread misinformation surrounding the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of the dangers posed by “the spread of rumours and misinformation”as China saw a surge in deaths and infections from the highly contagious virus.
“We have worked with Google to make sure people searching for information about coronavirus see WHO information at the top of their search results,” Tedros said in opening remarks to the UN health agency’s executive board meeting in Geneva.
“Social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Tencent and Tiktok have also taken steps to limit the spread of misinformation,” he said.
He spoke as the death toll on mainland China surged above 360, surpassing the number of fatalities in the country from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak of 2002-03.
Beijing hits out at Washington
China has blamed the United States for spreading fears about the coronavirus, while also accusing Washington of doing nothing to help contain the outbreak.