Coronavirus: 80 Cr Indians Can Be Infected; Whatsapp Launch A Massive Information Hub, Aims To Kill Fake News

The entire world has been shaken up with the outbreak of Coronavirus. 223,082 people have been tested positive for the disease, and the death toll has risen to a grave 9,149. 

The entire world is fighting the virus, and joining it with two unique initiatives is Whatsapp. The popular social media networking app has announced that they will be launching two new initiatives in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, and UNDP.

In India, the risk is very much high still, and it has been revealed that India could be the next hotspot for Coronavirus, and 60% of India might be infected with the disease. 

The situation is justifiably grave, care must be taken by all of us to protect ourselves and curb the spreading of the virus. 

Whatsapp To Join Hands With UNDP, WHO, and UNICEF To Provide Real-Time Information About Covid-19

Whatsapp has partnered up with United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization and UNICEF, in order to obtain real-time health information to billions of people around the world. 

It will be named The WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hubhealth, and it will provide simple and actionable guidance for health workers, educators, community leaders, nonprofits, local governments and local businesses as these entities depend heavily on the Whatsapp to communicate.

Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said, “Partnerships with private sector companies like WhatsApp will help get this vital, real-time information from the World Health Organization and local health officials to billions of users around the globe.”

$1 Million Grant For Fighting Fake News

Additionally, Whatsapp has invested $1 million grant in Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) to keep the rumour mills from spreading incorrect information about the virus. 

This grant will help in fact-checking for the #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance which is spread over more than 100 local organizations in at least 45 countries. 

Baybars Orsek, Director of IFCN, said, “the timely donation from WhatsApp will help the fact-checks published by the CoronaVirusFacts Alliance to reach wider audiences and, in consequence, help people sort facts from fiction during this avalanche of information that WHO called an ‘infodemic.’”

Coming to the status of the spreading of Coronavirus in India, there is a possibility that India will be the next hotspot for Coronavris, as revealed by Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan.

He is the director of the Washington-based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy and a lecturer at Princeton University.

In an interview, he said that 20-60% of the population in the USA has been infected, which shows that in India’s worst-case scenario, 60% of the population will be infected with the virus.

60% of India is no less than 700 or 800 million people.