The Wuhan Institute of Virology denied rumours claiming that the first person to contract COVID-19 is from the institute.
By Sahil Bali
Social media has come up with another speculation regarding the novel Coronavirus, now officially known as COVID-19. A rumour went viral online which stated that the first person called ‘patient zero’ to contract this virus was a scientist from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
This viral tweet claims that a woman named Huang Yanling has been identified as ‘patient zero’ and was first infected with the Coronavirus.
There are hundreds of tweets claiming that patient zero has been identified. One user tweeted citing WeChat as a source, “patient zero turns out to be a Wuhan institute of virology researcher. And she was reported missing after confirming positive. Source: WeChat”
The claim is false. It was spread without any evidence. As soon as this news started spreading like wildfire, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences issued a statement on their official website dated February 16, debunking these claims.
The statement highlights that false information is being circulated regarding the identification of Huang Yanling as ‘patient zero.’
The institute confirmed that she was a former student at the institute and had completed her master’s degree in 2015. They gave information about her area of expertise and that she has been living elsewhere after her graduation. She is in perfectly good health and has not been infected by the virus at all.
Rumours like these create a lot of confusion amongst the masses and also interrupts with the research work being carried out to fight this virus. No particular cure or the exact source of the virus has yet been discovered.
