Rumors are bound to fly during trying times like the ones we all live through now. Separating fact from fiction and truth from lies has always been important in journalism, but more so when most of the world is living in panic. So when untrue rumors are flying, we are here to make sure you know — even if we are the little guys in journalism.
UK magazine Mirror ran a story on March 14 stating that Dean Koontz predicted this deadly virus in his 1981 novel The Eyes of Darkness. They claim that in the novel there is a deadly virus that is called the Wuhan 400, but they explain that’s where the similarities end. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from spinning on Twitter.
According to CNN, in the original copy of The Eyes of Darkness, the bio-weapon was called “Gorki-400“. In 1981, the book was supposedly set in Russia, not China! The name of the fictitious virus was only changed to Wuhan-400 after the book was re-released in 1989. The symptoms people in the book experience are different than COVID19 and wherein the book people have a 100% mortality rate, the recovery rate from COVID is very high.
If you live in the states, the best resource for COVID19 updates will be the Centers for Disease Control. If you live in the UK, the best resource for COVID19 updates will be the NHS. During these trying times, keep your heads on straight, don’t listen to rumors, and as always, please wash your hands.
Image via Pexels | Jimmy Chan
