MANILA, Philippines — The Medical City in Pasig refuted circulating social media posts and reports claiming that its supplies of personal protective equipment had been raided on Wednesday night.
"There are news circulating that a raid of PPEs occurred in our premises on the evening of April 1,” the healthcare provider said in a Thursday morning statement.
“We deny this and encourage everyone to be careful in spreading unverified information.”
The now-debunked posts include allegations that PPE donations to the hospital from private individuals and organizations were confiscated and redistributed for political motives.
The World Health Organization last month spotlighted “infodemics” as another threat to worry about during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic.
“Infodemics are an excessive amount of information about a problem, which makes it difficult to identify a solution,” WHO spotlighted in a March situation report.
“Infodemics can spread misinformation, disinformation and rumors during a health emergency. [These] can hamper an effective public health response and create confusion and distrust among people.”