Combating fake COVID cures

Sri Lanka’s journey with COVID-19 has taken a fresh turn, with thousands of people flocking to Kegalle to grab a free bottle of an untested concoction that promises to cure the virus for a lifetime. 

The furore, created with the help of some media and involvement of a handful of ministers, including but not limited to Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Minister of State for Vocational Affairs Dr. Seetha Arambepola and the Minister in charge of the COVID-19 pandemic Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, is now threatening to undermine the social distancing guidelines that were laboriously put in place and enforced for months at great cost to frontline workers while also creating the possibility of a fresh cluster. 

People are scared of COVID-19 and fed up as the pandemic continues to bash its way through Sri Lanka and the rest of the world. New infection counts are on the rise and Sri Lanka is not an exception. This week started out with 703 new patients and it is unlikely to end on a less negative tone. As with most other celebrations this year Christmas with family and friends is unlikely, and even the New Year is failing to bring cheer.

The only silver lining is that a vaccine may be rolled out over the next few months and as part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) program, about 20% of Sri Lanka’s population may get a chance to be vaccinated. The rest will have to wait in line. Given this set of circumstances, it is understandable that a desperate populace will turn to virtually anything that promises to reduce the threat of COVID-19. The only problem is none of these so-called cures have been scientifically tested or proven. They could also encourage a sense of complacency that the country can ill-afford at this critical juncture.

The incident in Kegalle is a great example of what can happen when a Government throws its weight, even partially, behind something that is, at best, speculative. Tens of thousands gathered at a temple in the Hettimulla area in the Kegalle District for a chance at nabbing one of 5,000 free samples. And Dhammika Bandara is not alone. Various quacks peddling “cures” for COVID-19 on social media claiming either to be able to prevent infections or actually cure the disease are rampant on social media. At last count there were at least 30 such “cures” doing the rounds on Facebook.

All of them are emerging not from allopathic doctors or registered Ayurveda physicians but from others claiming inherited knowledge or inventions they have stumbled upon. Sri Lanka’s public healthcare system is already stretched and cannot deal with more patients, some of whom may unwittingly expose themselves to the virus while on the hunt for one of these purported miracles. 

It is astounding that given the seriousness of this situation the Government is not just content to let thousands of people be misled in this manner but actively promote the disinformation. At a time when the Government, especially subject Ministers, should be doubling down behind science, there is a worrying trend to gravitate towards the opposite.

US President Donald Trump ignored science, declined to counter the virus and eventually lost a second term in office. Governments around the world would do well to learn lessons from his political short-sightedness.