Infodemic: Covid-19 chaos in Romania and Ukraine’s cabbage cure
Welcome to the Infodemic. We are tracking how global disinformation is shaping the world emerging from the Covid-19 lockdown. Today, from Brazil to Bucharest, Coda's Katia Patin presents a few narratives — both real and fake — that have grabbed our attention and deserve yours.
Sign up for the Infodemic, tracking coronavirus disinformation
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for Covid-19 for a third time since he was first diagnosed on July 7. But that didn’t stop him from taking his $34,000 Honda motorcycle for a spin across the grounds of the presidential residence on Wednesday. He was photographed on the bike, chatting with gardeners. In keeping with his general position, Bolsonaro did not wear a mask, despite standing close to people. Brazil confirmed a record number of Covid-19 cases this week.
Over a thousand doctors in Serbia have sounded the alarm over the mishandling of coronavirus and are demanding that the country’s government-appointed pandemic unit be dissolved. Coronavirus cases have been surging since the end of lockdown in May. However, much of the anger has been stoked by an investigation revealing that the state intentionally misled Serbs on infection and death rates. Authorities have reportedly put pressure on doctors who speak out. “It is necessary to stand up against intimidation and politicization,” reads a petition signed by 1,200 doctors. However, President Aleksandar Vucic says that the only “bullying” happening is from opposition groups allegedly forcing doctors to sign. “The job of some is to destroy everything that exists in Serbia,” Vucic said.
Fact-checkers in Ukraine have called out cabbage propaganda on Russian-language media sites, which have reported that the vegetable can “kill coronavirus.” Their evidence: high rates of sauerkraut consumption in Germany and kimchi eating in South Korea coincide with low mortality rates. The pro-cabbage posts misquote a recent study by the University of Montpellier in France. The researchers say that a healthy diet — not an exclusively cabbage-based one — leads to lower coronavirus-related mortality rates. In Ukraine, new coronavirus cases continue to rise as tens of thousands of holidaymakers have descended on Black Sea beaches.