DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
- Outlet: almayadeen ( archive, original ) , Katehon - Arabic ( archive, original ) , annabaa.org ( archive, original ) , azzaman.com ( archive, original ) , Al-Binaa ( archive, original ) , shaamtimes.net ( archive, original ) , aleshraq.tv ( archive, original ) , Dam Press ( archive, original ) , syrianownews.com ( archive, original ) , almajd.net ( archive, original ) , darhaya.com ( archive, original ) , Arabi today ( archive, original ) , alderaah-news.net ( original ) , news-sinaa.com ( original ) , annabaa.org ( archive, original ) , elsob7 ( original ) , egysaudi.com ( archive, original ) , alsharqtimes.com ( archive, original )
- Date of publication: February 01, 2020
- Countries / regions discussed: Cuba, China, Canada, US
DISINFO: Coronavirus: A North American epidemic
SUMMARY
There are strange “separate” incidents that targeted China from North America; the most prominent was the arrival of a shipment issued by Canadian biological laboratories in March 2019, which includes “malicious viruses.” It is noteworthy that this shipment was carried out under a veil of secrecy other than the usual procedures, which prompted the Chinese side to file a formal complaint. A large US military delegation, consisting of 300 people, arrived in Wuhan, in Hubei Province, China on October 19, 2019, to participate in a military games festival hosted by China and held there. On November 2, 2019, the first infection with the coronavirus was recorded in that province, and it spread rapidly throughout December. Scientifically, the incubation period for corona infection is 14 days.
RESPONSE
A number of conspiracy theories that are only linked by the fact that they are "separate" incidents, and echos some recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation especially about China coronavirus. The narratives also resemble a recurring conspiracy theory about the Lugar Lab in Georgia. The claims about Canadian involvement in the coronavirus spread appear to be based on a mischaracterization of August 2019 reports about a transfer of Ebola and Nipah viruses from a Canadian lab to Beijing, and an apparently separate issue involving two Chinese researchers at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg, in the central province of Manitoba. Read further debunking by the AFP Fact Check.
As for the US participation in the Military World Games and its connection with the coronavirus, there is no evidence to prove this claim. There were 9,308 athletes from 109 countries that have registered to participate in 2019 Military World Games held between October 18-27. While the incubation period of 2019-nCoV, also known as coronavirus, is believed to vary from as few as 2 days to as long as 14 days after the exposure, according to the CDC. This is based on what has been seen previously as the incubation period of MERS viruses.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the first reported unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan was recorded on 31 December 2019, when Chinese authorities confirmed they were investigating 27 cases of viral pneumonia, which is 65 days after the closing ceremony of the Military World Games.