At a video conference meeting held last week with the Chief Ministers of seven provinces, Prime Minister KP Oli gave a brief information about coronavirus, its treatment, and transmission processes.
The video of PM Oli talking about the coronavirus has gone viral on social media platforms. His attempt to educate the ministers about the virus with scientifically disproven rumors has been a matter of mockery and troll on social media.
In the video, Oli says, “Coronavirus is a non-living being – its outer fatty layer makes the virus a living organism and hot water melts its outer fatty layer.” He also suggests to avoid eating ice-cream adding, ” Taking hot steam, drinking hot water, and washing hands and face with warm water are the most effective ways to cure coronavirus.”
Virologists define viruses as not living things, made up of complicated assemblies of molecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates, which can rapidly multiply once they enter a living cell.
Similarly, World Health Organization (WHO) has published various myth busters — including the fact that hot bath, exposure to sun or warm temperature don’t prevent coronavirus — after several fake news circulated in social media platforms.
Another unmindful statement of Prime Minister Oli was that there is no vaccine to kill or eliminate the coronavirus because coronavirus is not a living organism. “How do we kill something that has no life?” he asks.
Although, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19 as of yet, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments. For example, Ebola, SARS, small pox and flu are some of diseases caused by viruses and there are cures for all of these.
The scientifically incorrect speech given by the Prime Minister on coronavirus without fact checking is not only misleading but also embarrassing for the entire nation. As the head of the state, the prime minister should be responsible about sharing factual information as thousands of citizens take him for his words and follow his instructions.
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