Archive - Health

The Philippines, functioning under one of the world’s longest lockdowns amid the pandemic, is pinning its hopes on a vaccine to fight coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The vaccine has not reached its shores but a wave of misinformation about it has started to spread.

After months of expedited clinical trials, several coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are now nearing market distribution, and a few are already out for public use.

A Nov. 21 Facebook (FB) status of a doctor, shared by over 4,500 people, is claiming that people who consume instant noodles too much may get cancer because of a “waxy substance” that prevents the noodles from getting sticky when cooked. This is unproven.

A month-old video of Facebook page Lynn Channel echoes another false claim about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

A lengthy post by local Facebook (FB) page Amazing Zynergia For Natural Health that claims to “educate people on alternative and natural healing” has made untrue claims, saying cancer is “not a disease” and that certain food can kill or remove cancer cells from the body.

Experts said claims of the food combination causing fatal caffeine overdose are not true.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not conclude a cause-effect relationship between the vaccine and Bell’s Palsy, and the four people shown in the photos did not take part in the trial.

A Facebook (FB) post by a local netizen claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine of pharmaceutical companies Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE had caused the deaths of six people during the trial phase is misleading.

This post is false. Don’t believe it.

Facebook (FB) page Lynn Channel, which has published coronavirus-related disinformation in the past, has again spread wrong and misleading information about vaccines for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

On the day the island of Luzon was put on lockdown on March 17, Henry “Hedel” Dela Cruz Jr. walked nearly five kilometers to claim his guarantee letter or GL at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in Quezon City.

It is a natural part of the female reproductive system, yet menstruation remains a taboo topic in many countries, including the Philippines, even to this day.

The story came from a website that describes itself as “the world’s best satire site.”

Ten months into the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the race for a safe and effective vaccine continues. Researchers and pharmaceutical developers have studied the sequence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and sped up the process of clinical trials to supply rations for over 170 countries, including the Philippines.

In dismissing Vice President Leni Robredo’s suggestion to make a detailed list of recipients for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque contradicted the Department of Health (DOH) when he said there was “already one in existence.”

As the country prepares for late-stage clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines to start in December, President Rodrigo Duterte named Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. as vaccine czar.

The false claim has circulated online since May, and has been debunked by fact-checkers in South America, Europe and Asia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) presented on Oct. 15 “conclusive” findings in the interim results of its Solidarity Therapeutics Trial, six months after starting a worldwide search for an effective treatment drug for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Also known as sleep starts, they are “normal physiologic movements not related to death,” according to one neurologist.

While in moderation, it may be beneficial for the treatment of hypertension, there is a lack of clinical trials proving the plant’s safety and efficacy as a cancer treatment.

A WHO official has clarified that they have not made any changes in their stance.

Several health authorities say the same thing: wear the colored side facing outwards.

The swab inserted through the nose allegedly “damages” the endocrine glands and “breaks” the blood-brain barrier, allowing infections to reach the brain. This is not true. This claim has been debunked by multiple health experts.

The post also echoed already-debunked claims in other conspiracy theories about COVID-19.

Properly designed masks are porous, allowing oxygen and carbon dioxide to travel in and out of it.

The post is premised on a false and already-debunked claim about masks causing oxygen deficiency.

Drawing flak in mid-August for improperly wearing his face mask in public, thereby violating health protocols to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon, in a Facebook (FB) video, justified his actions with false and misleading claims.

Former Education undersecretary and 2019 senatorial aspirant Antonio “Butch” Valdes propagated an incorrect claim about the United States (U.S.) Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) “finally admitting” that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) death count in the U.S. is way less than was originally reported.

While the Philippines continues to grapple with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), news about a new viral mutation that is said to be “globally dominant” and “more infectious” than the original have recently made the headlines.

It mixes correct health advice with recycled false claims and information that need context.