WebQoof Recap: From Unproven COVID Cures To Fake Letter on Kumbh

Here’s a round-up of all that misled the public this week.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

From unproven cures for coronavirus to a fake letter in the name of NSA Ajit Doval 'lauding' Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Om Prakash’s efforts during the Kumbh Mela, here’s a round-up of all that misled the public this week.

1. Fact Check: Smelling Camphor Can’t ‘Increase’ Body Oxygen Levels

A message going viral on social media claims that smelling a combination of camphor, cloves (laung), carrom seeds (ajwain) and a few drops of eucalyptus oil can help in increasing oxygen levels in the body. The viral message is accompanied by a photo showing the above-mentioned ingredients on a small white cloth.

Dr Aditya Agarwal, a pulmonologist and chest specialist based in Mumbai, dismissed the claim.

"It's a myth. Smelling camphor does not increase oxygen levels. Smelling camphor clears blockages in the nasal passage that gives the feeling of better airflow," he said in a phone conversation with The Quint.

You can read the full story here.

2. No, Having Raw Onions and Salt Cannot Cure Coronavirus

A claim going viral on the internet says that having raw onions and Himalayan salt (pink) (Sendha Namak) can cure one of COVID-19 and make them test negative for the virus.

However, we found that while onion has some antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory qualities, there is no data or study to prove that onions can be used as therapy/cure for COVID-19.

You can read the full story here.

3. Video of Crowd at Funeral in UP Viral As ‘Hyderabad Iftar Party’

A video showing a huge gathering of people at a funeral procession in a madrasa in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal is being shared with a false claim that it is from an Iftar party in Hyderabad.

An archived version of the post can be accessed here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

Speaking to The Quint, Sambhal Police officials confirmed that people turned up in large numbers to attend the funeral procession of Maulana Momin despite permission being denied by the cops in light of a surge in COVID cases.

Read the full story here.

4. No, NSA Ajit Doval Didn’t Write a Letter Lauding Kumbh Efforts

A viral letter purportedly written by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval lauding Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Om Prakash’s efforts during the Kumbh Mela held in Haridwar is doing the rounds on social media.

However, we compared the viral letter with an official one and noticed that a huge portion of the text had been lifted from the latter. We also noticed few grammatical and spelling errors. Further, government officials have also called the letter “fake”.

You can view the archived version here.

(Source: Twitter/ Screenshot)

You can read the full story here.

5. Images From UK, Indonesia Passed off as Ramadan Crowd in India

As the cases of coronavirus continue to rise in the country, multiple users on Saturday, 17 April, took to Twitter to share a few pictures of mass gatherings insinuating that the pictures are recent and from India.

In fact, these pictures were shared with ‘#BanRamzanGatherings’, which became one of the top trends on the platform with over 25,000 tweets at the time of writing this story.

These pictures were shared with ‘#BanRamzanGatherings’. (Source: Twitter/Altered by The Quint)

Of the four images, three images don’t have anything to do with Ramadan celebrations in India. The one which is from India is from 2018.

You can read the full story here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)