New Delhi: “When people got familiar with the current COVID-19 scenarios, what are the types of messages that flooded our social media or WhatsApp? Some shared natural remedies like eating garlic as a cure to the disease while some shared how drinking alcohol or spraying it on our body can kill the virus. Not just these, there were hundreds of remedies floating on social media. Isn’t it,” asked Jithin T Joseph, co-founder of a unique platform called Info Clinic, a Facebook page that has been set to counter false information, myths, and superstitions with regards to health, diseases, and its treatment. The initiative is spearheaded by a team of doctors from various fields in Kerala who want to put a stop at all such fake news or myths related to health and diseases and guide the common masses with true information.
What Led To The Birth Of Info Clinic Initiative In Kerala
Talking about the idea and what prompted the birth of Info Clinic in Kerala back in 2016, Jithin T Joseph adds,
At that point in time, the state was going through diphtheria outbreak and on the other hand, social media was growing so much that it had become a daily source of gaining news for the masses. We saw there was a lot of misinformation about the outbreak and its remedies that were circulating. A state like Kerala, which has the highest literacy rate was also at the receiving end of the harms that are caused due to fake news or misleading information. Percentage of vaccinations for diphtheria came down, which was supposed to be a legit cure. At that point, we were very disappointed as we saw people believing the remedies circulating on social media as a cure and not taking vaccinations. We decided to write an article about the disease and its treatment and that’s how the idea of starting Info Clinic was mooted. Soon, we decided to make Info Clinic a platform where we can publish all such articles and educate the masses about the right things when it comes to health issues, diseases and its treatment.
It all started with a team of five doctors spearheading Info Clinic, a Facebook page, four years down the line, it has now become a team of 38 specialist doctors, from both public and private hospitals, who works only on spreading right knowledge and information about major disease outbreaks or pandemics like the one which the world is undergoing currently – coronavirus.
Jithin T Joseph said,
What binds us all together is our mutual interest about health issues and diseases, we have more than 1 lakh people who follow us on our social media, moreover, we have a dedicated website where we publish all our findings, research and knowledge. For now, the initiative is limited to the state of Kerala, but we do try and convert important articles in English so that more and more people can get aware. Till now, we have written more than 350 plus articles in Malayalam and English language.
Debunking Myths In The Time Of Coronavirus
Further talking about the current pandemic – coronavirus and how big the problem of myths, conspiracy theories, fake news around it was in Kerala, which is known as one of the better performers in dealing with the crisis, Mr Joseph said that in Kerala as well the problem of miss information was huge. Highlighting what went right with Kerala when it comes to coronavirus, he said,
“But what the state did differently was that it started to put out all the information related to the pandemic out there on social media – be it government accounts or health minister. Everyone in the state was trying to make people aware of the situation by simply putting out facts. That really helped the state cope up well with the pandemic.
Highlighting the kinds of miss information Info Clinic has dealt in the past when it comes to coronavirus outbreak, Mr Joseph said,
The list is never-ending. I remember people posting queries about things like if coronavirus can go away by putting a sanitiser with alcohol content in it then can drinking alcohol make them COVID-19 resistant or if they take a hot water bath, they will be protected from the virus. There were myths about yoga and coronavirus, people thought those who perform yoga are less likely to get infected with the virus. There were also questions on the use of spraying disinfectants on one’s body or surfaces, but in medical terms, it was not an effective cure for COVID-19.
In Kerala, disinfectant booths were installed and there were cases in recent past that some of the vehicles have caught fire after the disinfectant was sprayed on them because of the alcohol content. Sharing an example of this incident, Mr Joseph added,
There was a lot of discussion around it and we wrote an article on the same topic, it gained a lot of eyes and after that even the World Health Organisation passed the guideline saying that the use of disinfectant is not the solution.
Stressing on the point that controlling information that is misleading or fake on social media is very tough, Mr Joseph said,
Social Media is a platform where anyone can share anything. Now, today, if I get a WhatsApp forward saying eating garlic can cure COVID-19 and if I decide to post it further – I will be misleading 500 people who follow me on a certain platform. Now, even if one of them passes it on to their group, it will affect more people and the count soon will be endless. That’s how difficult it is to control misinformation being passed on various platforms. Most of the questions and miss information about coronavirus which we had to deal with in recent times were related to its cure. As it is a new deadly virus and everybody is looking for the information that can protect them, so most of the people end up believing the random miss information that is passed and that’s where Info Clinic comes in picture. Daily, we try and come up with some or the other article that tries to debunk such myths.
Also Read: Kerala Fights COVID-19: ‘Triple Lockdown’ In Thiruvananthapuram, Here’s All You Need To Know
Highlighting about the learnings and challenges of an initiative like an Info Clinic, Mr Joseph signed off by saying,
Over the years, we have realised, miss information that is passed on social media is the biggest threat to the society in terms of the health care system. When we started back in 2016, we never thought we will grow like this and help so many people pass on the right knowledge. Whereas, when we talk about the challenges, one of the biggest threats is the reach of social media, the way information spreads via this medium is uncontrollable. Currently, anyone and everyone is sharing something or the other related to the diseases, so the fake news that we call in the health and disease sector is spreading like a wildfire. Wish there can be a way in the future to control this. Until then, we all need to be very very careful that we don’t pass on things which we are not sure of until it is backed with voices of experts and doctors. We need to stop learning things from what we now call as WhatsApp University. Let’s all be responsible and share the information wisely.
Also Read: Meet Kerala’s Coronavirus Warriors Who Are Tracking Thousands In Quarantine Everyday
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
World
1,20,37,599Cases
49,05,972Active
65,82,226Recovered
5,49,401Deaths
Coronavirus has spread to 188 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 1,20,37,599 and 5,49,401 have died; 49,05,972 are active cases and 65,82,226 have recovered as on July 9, 2020 at 4:06 am.
India
7,67,296 24879Cases
2,69,789 4845Active
4,76,378 19547Recovered
21,129 487Deaths
In India, there are 7,67,296 confirmed cases including 21,129 deaths. The number of active cases is 2,69,789 and 4,76,378 have recovered as on July 9, 2020 at 2:30 am.
State & District Details
| State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DistrictCases Akola757 Aurangabad1974 Dhule228 Jalgaon1039 Mumbai45478 Mumbai Suburban5363 Nagpur692 Nashik1575 Palghar1421 Pune9920 Satara629 Solapur1291 Thane13660 Yavatmal150 Ahmednagar190 Amravati291 Beed54 Bhandara41 Buldhana88 Chandrapur32 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Kolhapur646 Latur139 Nanded176 Nandurbar42 Parbhani78 Raigad1462 Ratnagiri350 Sangli145 Gadchiroli42 gondia69 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Wardha11 Washim13 |
223724 6603 |
91084 1771 |
123192 4634 |
9448 198 |
|
DistrictCases Chittoor319 Guntur511 Krishna557 Kurnool795 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Prakasam104 Srikakulam183 Visakhapatnam103 West Godavari199 Y.S.R.205 Vizianagaram23 |
22259 1062 |
10894 |
11101 1356 |
264 12 |
|
DistrictCases Bengaluru Rural40 Bengaluru Urban529 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Ballari60 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Chikkaballapura149 Dakshina Kannada179 Dharwad61 Gadag45 Kalaburagi669 Mandya346 Tumakuru36 Uttara Kannada95 Vijayapura201 Chamarajanagara0 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Davangere204 Hassan205 Haveri24 Kodagu4 Kolar29 Koppal5 Raichur369 Ramanagara3 Shivamogga67 Udupi1176 Yadgir538 |
28877 2062 |
16531 1230 |
11876 778 |
470 54 |
|
DistrictCases North Goa57 South Goa69 |
2039 136 |
824 85 |
1207 51 |
8 |
|
DistrictCases Chengalpattu1314 Chennai23324 Kanchipuram503 Madurai322 Namakkal83 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Thiruvallur774 Thiruvarur67 Tiruppur116 Vellore71 Virudhunagar185 Ariyalur444 Coimbatore188 Cuddalore477 Dharmapuri15 Dindigul175 Erode75 Kallakurichi324 Kanniyakumari110 Karur88 Nagapattinam99 Perambalur133 Pudukkottai53 Ramanathapuram119 Salem258 Sivaganga46 Tenkasi103 The Nilgiris17 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Tirunelveli433 Tirupathur45 Tiruvannamalai496 Tuticorin333 Villupuram509 Krishnagiri43 |
122350 3756 |
46483 641 |
74167 3051 |
1700 64 |
|
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kottayam73 Alappuzha76 Idukki40 Kasaragod333 Kollam118 Kozhikode90 Malappuram119 Palakkad224 Pathanamthitta98 Thiruvananthapuram104 Thrissur106 Ernakulam60 Wayanad36 |
6195 301 |
2609 194 |
3559 107 |
27 |
|
DistrictCases Raipur46 Korba100 Balod41 Baloda Bazar85 Balrampur17 Bastar2 Bemetara21 Bijapur2 Bilaspur100 Dantewada0 Dhamtari6 Durg31 Gariyaband10 Janjgir-Champa56 Jashpur77 Kabirdham52 Kanker19 Kondagaon0 Korea39 Mahasamund54 Mungeli87 Narayanpur0 Raigarh47 Rajnandgaon52 Sukma0 Surajpur9 Surguja14 |
3525 110 |
676 26 |
2835 84 |
14 |
|
DistrictCases Hyderabad2475 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Vikarabad40 Warangal Urban32 Adilabad22 Jagitial77 Jangoan8 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Kamareddy11 Karimnagar17 Khammam26 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Mahabubnagar30 Mancherial43 Medak11 Nalgonda33 Narayanpet3 Nirmal21 Nizamabad76 RajannaSircilla16 Sangareddy26 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Mahabubabad10 Mulugu3 Nagarkurnool8 Peddapalli5 Siddipet7 Wanaparthy1 Warangal Rural4 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 |
29536 1924 |
11933 921 |
17279 992 |
324 11 |
|
DistrictCases Baleshwar190 Bhadrak137 Jajapur322 Dhenkanal36 Kalahandi33 Kendrapara164 Khordha238 Koraput16 Sundargarh102 Anugul26 Balangir129 Bargarh16 Boudh34 Cuttack155 Deogarh33 Gajapati61 Ganjam581 Jagatsinghapur91 Jharsuguda8 Kandhamal28 Kendujhar34 Malkangiri20 Mayurbhanj73 Nabarangpur2 Nayagarh86 Nuapada69 Puri103 Rayagada2 Sambalpur16 Sonepur29 |
10624 527 |
3570 218 |
7006 303 |
48 6 |
|
DistrictCases Barwani60 Bhopal1880 Dewas140 Dhar132 East Nimar266 Gwalior211 Indore3839 Jabalpur276 Ujjain799 Agar Malwa15 Alirajpur3 Betul35 Burhanpur351 Chhindwara16 Dindori29 Harda4 Hoshangabad37 Khargone196 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Raisen71 Ratlam51 Sagar228 Shajapur39 Shandol14 Sheopur26 Tikamgarh18 Vidisha37 Anuppur22 Ashoknagar13 Balaghat9 Bhind87 Chhatarpur35 Damoh26 Datia12 Guna8 Jhabua14 Katni3 Mandla15 Narsinghpur17 Neemuch319 Niwari0 Panna20 Rajgarh31 Rewa39 Satna24 Sehore12 Seoni2 Shivpuri15 Sidhi17 Singrauli13 Umaria10 |
16036 409 |
3420 183 |
11987 219 |
629 7 |
|
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17125 Anand107 Arvalli134 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Gandhinagar410 PanchMahals107 Surat2311 Vadodara1555 Bharuch56 Botad55 Chhotaudepur37 Dang5 Dohad43 GirSomnath45 Jamnagar63 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Mahesana159 Mahisagar125 Narmada25 Naysari35 Patan105 Rajkot135 SabarKantha101 Surendranagar55 Tapi6 Valsad47 Amreli16 DevbhumiDwarka22 Junagadh31 Morbi4 Porbandar11 |
38333 783 |
9051 198 |
27289 569 |
1993 16 |
|
DistrictCases Ajmer379 Banswara91 Bharatpur563 Jaipur2177 Jhalawar329 Jodhpur1748 Kota503 Nagaur500 Alwar90 Barmer34 Bhilwara250 Bikaner112 Chittorgarh188 Churu81 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Dungarpur374 Hanumangarh31 Jaisalmer53 Jhunjhunu64 Karauli17 Pali352 Rajsamand140 SawaiMadhopur26 Sikar231 Tonk171 Udaipur724 Baran59 Bundi5 Ganganagar8 Jalore164 Pratapgarh14 Sirohi130 |
22063 659 |
4715 358 |
16866 291 |
482 10 |
|
DistrictCases Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Ambala93 Bhiwani60 CharkiDadri43 Fatehabad38 Gurugram2950 Hisar98 Jhajjar114 Jind38 Kaithal48 Karnal104 Kurukshetra55 Nuh68 Palwal120 Panchkula39 Panipat78 Rohtak145 Sirsa50 Yamunanagar19 Mahendragarh47 Rewari56 |
18690 691 |
4302 227 |
14106 461 |
282 3 |
|
DistrictCases Agra933 Aligarh215 Amroha80 Bareilly17 Bijnor157 Bulandshahr166 Firozabad190 Gautam Buddha Nagar1119 Kanpur Nagar286 Lucknow386 Mathura129 Meerut504 Moradabad252 Muzaffarnagar117 Rae Bareli78 Rampur203 Saharanpur298 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Varanasi243 Auraiya37 Ayodhya120 Azamgarh138 Baghpat68 Bahraich73 Balrampur49 Banda27 Basti214 Bhadohi60 Budaun23 Etah52 Etawah46 Ghaziabad794 Ghazipur159 Gonda59 Gorakhpur166 Hapur225 Hardoi49 Jalaun41 Jaunpur194 Jhansi41 Kannauj69 Kasganj16 Kaushambi6 Mainpuri46 Mau48 Mirzapur22 Pilibhit15 Pratapgarh15 Prayagraj30 Sambhal116 Shamli40 Shravasti23 Sitapur32 Sultanpur97 Unnao42 Ambedkar Nagar92 Amethi206 Ballia60 Barabanki168 Chandauli38 Chitrakoot4 Deoria143 Farrukhabad36 Fatehpur3 Hamirpur3 Hathras43 Kanpur Dehat4 Kheri72 Kushi Nagar67 Lalitpur3 Maharajganj85 Mahoba3 Shahjahanpur25 Siddharth Nagar159 Sonbhadra10 |
31156 1188 |
9980 466 |
20331 704 |
845 18 |
|
DistrictCases Central4817 East2472 New Delhi3405 North3059 North East1914 North West5463 Shahdara1580 South2329 South East2446 South West2391 West4768 |
104864 2033 |
23452 |
78199 3982 |
3213 48 |
|
DistrictCases Dhubri30 Goalpara19 Marigaon50 Baksa14 Barpeta28 Biswanath16 Bongaigaon12 Cachar80 Charaideo29 Chirang6 Darrang20 Dhemaji47 Dibrugarh61 Dima Hasao86 Golaghat203 Hailakandi57 Hojai89 Jorhat24 Kamrup42 Kamrup Metro276 KarbiAnglong13 Karimganj85 Kokrajhar37 Lakhimpur57 Majuli2 Nagaon143 Nalbari23 Sivasagar20 Sonitpur27 South SalmaraMancachar4 Tinsukia84 Udalguri28 West KarbiAnglong5 |
13336 814 |
4591 412 |
8729 400 |
16 2 |
|
DistrictCases East District3 North District0 South District3 West District0 |
133 8 |
62 7 |
71 1 |
0 |
|
DistrictCases Buxar134 Gaya115 Munger188 Patna279 Rohtas256 Arwal52 Aurangabad75 Banka134 Begusarai243 Bhagalpur266 Bhojpur103 Darbhanga143 Gopalganj123 Jehanabad178 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Lakhisarai72 Madhepura82 Madhubani199 Nalanda123 Nawada122 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Saran101 Siwan139 Vaishali87 Araria68 Jamui47 Katihar175 Khagaria253 Kishanganj75 Muzaffarpur96 Pashchim Champaran57 Saharsa88 Samastipur139 Sheikhpura118 Sheohar20 Sitamarhi73 Supaul87 |
13189 619 |
3528 346 |
9554 270 |
107 3 |
|
DistrictCases 24 Paraganas North1031 24 Paraganas South281 Darjeeling97 Howrah1435 Jalpaiguri88 Kalimpong18 Kolkata2777 Maldah235 Medinipur East153 Medinipur West159 Hooghly604 Murshidabad125 Nadia139 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purba Bardhaman130 Alipurduar39 Bankura116 Birbhum206 Coochbehar210 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Dinajpur Uttar216 Jhargram9 Purulia66 |
24823 986 |
7705 462 |
16291 501 |
827 23 |
|
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 |
149 2 |
72 |
77 2 |
0 |
|
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Karaikal2 Mahe4 Yanam0 |
1008 78 |
514 32 |
480 46 |
14 |
|
DistrictCases Anjaw0 Changlang31 Dibang Valley0 East Kameng0 East Siang1 Kamle0 KraDaadi0 KurungKumey0 Leparada0 Lohit3 Longding0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 Lower Subansiri0 Namsai2 PakkeKessang1 Papum Pare8 Shi Yomi0 Siang0 Tawang1 Tirap0 Upper Siang1 Upper Subansiri0 West Kameng0 West Siang1 |
287 11 |
176 7 |
109 4 |
2 |
|
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Kiphire3 Kohima7 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Mon8 Peren2 Phek1 Tuensang3 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 |
657 32 |
353 |
304 61 |
0 |
|
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
DistrictCases Ranchi148 Bokaro16 Deoghar5 Dhanbad32 Garhwa80 Giridih19 Hazaribagh110 Jamtara2 Koderma58 Simdega48 Chatra1 Dumka5 East Singhbum170 Godda2 Gumla28 Khunti10 Latehar14 Lohardaga8 Pakur4 Palamu27 Ramgarh75 Sahebganj0 SaraikelaKharsawan20 West Singhbhum21 |
3096 100 |
904 34 |
2170 66 |
22 |
|
DistrictCases Gomati74 North Tripura14 Dhalai196 Khowai24 Sepahijala174 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 |
1761 57 |
436 |
1324 76 |
1 |
|
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 |
1041 |
204 |
836 |
1 |
|
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Bandipora175 Shopian255 Srinagar300 Baramulla271 Budgam110 Ganderbal37 Jammu138 Kathua53 Kulgam295 Kupwara231 Rajouri39 Ramban151 Reasi26 Samba25 Udhampur155 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 Doda27 Kishtwar10 Poonch35 Pulwama108 |
9261 330 |
3545 156 |
5567 168 |
149 6 |
|
DistrictCases Chamba29 Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Sirmaur11 Solan32 Una41 Bilaspur21 Kinnaur2 Kullu4 Lahaul And Spiti0 Mandi21 Shimla10 |
1101 18 |
257 |
833 43 |
11 |
|
DistrictCases Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Patiala132 Amritsar485 Barnala25 Faridkot74 Firozepur50 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Moga65 Pathankot86 S.A.S Nagar137 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Tarn Taran163 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 |
6907 158 |
1901 |
4828 274 |
178 3 |
|
DistrictCases Haridwar94 Dehradun370 Nainital323 Almora71 Bageshwar31 Chamoli36 Champawat45 PauriGarhwal36 Pithoragarh43 Rudraprayag30 Tehri Garhwal110 Udam Singh Nagar83 Uttar Kashi24 |
3258 28 |
562 |
2650 29 |
46 3 |
|
DistrictCases Bishnupur7 Chandel5 Churachandpur32 Imphal East10 Imphal West21 Jiribam3 Kakching2 Kamjong5 Kangpokpi26 Noney1 Pherzawl3 Senapati6 Tamenglong2 Tengnoupal9 Thoubal18 Ukhrul4 |
1435 5 |
642 |
793 22 |
0 |
|
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 |
513 19 |
104 18 |
402 1 |
7 |
|
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 North Garo Hills1 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Garo Hills4 South West Khasi Hills0 West Garo Hills5 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 |
80 |
36 |
43 |
1 |
|
DistrictCases Aizawl10 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Kolasib11 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Mamit8 Saiha0 Saitual1 Serchhip0 |
197 |
64 |
133 |
0 |
|
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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