Summoned for spreading false coronavirus news
Tran Van Tung, 22 years old, posted false information on Facebook about two Chinese people suspected of being infected with the corona virus.
On the evening of January 27 (the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year), Tung (on Tien Cang Street, Thang Nhat Ward, Vung Tau City) posted the news "Currently, Le Loi Hospital, Vung Tau City has two Chinese people suspected of having the corona virus" on Tran Tung's personal Facebook page, attracting nearly 300 people expressing their emotions, more than 400 comments and 600 shares, after 25 minutes of posting.
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False information posted by Tran Van Tung on Facebook. Photo:Screenshot |
Upon receiving the screenshot, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Phuoc, Director of Le Loi Hospital, posted on the hospital's fanpage to deny the false information and reported it to the police. A few minutes later, Tung removed the status.
"Up to this point, the hospital has not detected any suspected cases of coronavirus infection," Mr. Phuoc affirmed and requested that authorities strictly handle cases of spreading false information that cause panic among the people.
On the morning of January 28, Tran Van Tung was invited to work by the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Police. Afterwards, he posted a correction, apologized, and said that he had spread false information "due to listening to unfounded outside information", and pledged not to repeat the offense.
The pneumonia caused by the coronavirus strain broke out in Wuhan city at the end of December 2019, then spread to many provinces in China and many other countries. This country recorded the death toll from the acute pneumonia epidemic has increased to 106 and the number of infected cases has exceeded 4,000.
In Vietnam, two cases of Wuhan pneumonia have been reported, one of which has recovered. Health officials are quarantining 38 suspected cases and awaiting test results.
