Covid-19: Bedfordview doctor urges reasonable isolation and debunks fake news (Audio)
"The community’s concern is growing and people are beginning to panic."
Bedfordview-based Dr Mohammed Asmal has called on residents to be responsible and to practise reasonable isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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He said the community’s concern is growing and people are beginning to panic.
“This may be a bad thing, as it may lead to behaviour which is counter-intuitive,” said Asmal.
He added this is the first pandemic we have faced in the age of mass social media.
Also read: World Health Organisation: The world needs solidarity to fight Covid-19
Asmal sees social media as two-sided, both harmless and harmful, concerning information.
He said a harmless action would be somebody spreading information on taking vitamins, which does not interfere with the disease process.
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“However, people spreading information opposite to what doctors are saying is harmful. This is people saying Covid-19 is a Western conspiracy and germ warfare.”
To residents who are currently isolating, Asmal said to beware of the common symptoms of Covid-19.
“It is a viral infection. Look out for high fever, higher than 38 degrees.”
LISTEN:
Look out for the full interview in the next edition of Bedfordview and Edenvale News.
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
