False: Italian doctors claim that COVID-19 is not a virus but a bacteria.

By: Devika Kandelwal
June 16 2020

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Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold and also severe diseases.A viral post says that Italian doctors have claimed that COVID-19 is not a virus. Coronaviruses are not types of bacteria. There are hundreds of coronaviruses, most of which circulate among animals such as pigs, camels, bats, and cats. Sometimes these viruses jump and spread among humans causing diseases. Seven known coronaviruses have emerged so far, out of which four cause mild to moderate disease in people. The other three- the SARS coronavirus, MERS coronavirus, and SARS-CoV-2 have known to be deadly. SARS-CoV-2 emerged from Wuhan, China in December 2019 and was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization(WHO) in March 2020. Scientists have been studying the disease and its cause, and full analysis shows that the disease has sequenced the genetic material of the virus. According to WHO, some people who become ill with COVID-19 can also develop a bacterial infection as a complication. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.