The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has warned Australians to be mindful of false or misleading medical “advice” and updates on social media concerning coronavirus (COVID-19).
Model and businesswoman Miranda Kerr has come under fire for a promoting a ``Virus Protection” guide from “medical medium” Anthony William to her 12 million followers on Instagram.
And a fake letter, purporting to be from Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos, has also been circulating on social media concerning school closures in Victoria.
RACGP president Harry Nespolon said all social media users should be wary of what they were reading.
“I understand people are scared but turning to false or misleading social media content is not the answer.
“There is no magic cure for COVID-19 and schools are not being closed at this stage,” Dr Nespolon said.
“It’s not always easy but social media users need to critically examine this content and consider the source of the information and whether it is credible.
“The best sources of information on COVID-19 include the RACGP website and the official health.gov.au website, not Miranda Kerr’s Instagram account.
“I call on people such as Miranda Kerr, who have extraordinary numbers of social media followers, to exercise some personal responsibility.
“My advice is simple — wash your hands, keep them away from your face, avoid handshakes and mass public gatherings and don’t always believe what you see on social media.”
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