Coronavirus Turns People Into Zombies? Malaysia's Health Ministry Dispels 'Walking Dead' Rumour

Kula Lumpur, February 2: As rumour that coronavirus turns people into zombies was spreading fast in Malaysia, the government on Sunday dispelled the misinformation regarding the outbreak. While health authorities are busy trying to contain the coronavirus outbreak, some social media users in Malaysia attempted to link the disease with the walking dead. The virus has so far killed more than 300 people in China. Instagram Influencers Cash on Coronavirus Outbreak Crisis, Get Slammed For Turning Face Masks Into Fashion Accessories (View Pics).

"The claim that individuals infected with this virus will behave like zombies is not true... Patients can recover," Malaysia's Health Ministry tweeted. Authorities also arrested six people for allegedly spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. Several conspiracy theories are doing rounds on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and similar Chinese platforms regarding the coronavirus outbreak.

One of the conspiracy theories is that the coronavirus reached humans due to the eating habits of the Chinese people. A short clip, which is going viral on social media, showed a woman eating a dish made of bats. The video is shared with the claim that this had led to the coronavirus outbreak. Another conspiracy theory is that Chinese scientists working in Canada stole coronavirus and sent it to a lab in Wuhan.

It is being said that the Chinese scientist along with their students had been sacked last year over policy breach. Coronavirus got leaked from the Wuhan lab because the Chinese scientists lacked expertise in dealing with this particular virus. The Canadian government, however, has refuted these claims. An alleged bio-weapon leak and pharma industry are also being linked to the outbreak.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 02, 2020 07:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).