BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • World
      • There's No Link Between Air...
      World

      There's No Link Between Air Pollution, Covid-19 As Claimed In Viral Claim

      The claim was reportedly made by an Indonesian podcaster who has organised anti-vaccine rallies.

      By - AFP |
      Published -  22 Feb 2022 1:03 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      Theres No Link Between Air Pollution, Covid-19 As Claimed In Viral Claim

      A video of an Indonesian podcaster who has organised anti-vaccine rallies claiming the Covid-19 pandemic is caused by air pollution has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple social media posts. However, the claim is false; although the Indonesian government has come under fire from residents for toxic levels of air pollution in the capital Jakarta, health experts told AFP Covid-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

      The video was posted here on Facebook on February 6, 2022.

      The footage, which has been viewed more than 18,000 times, shows Indonesian podcaster Ali Ridho Assegaf, popularly known as Babeh Aldo, who has staged anti-vaccine protests in Jakarta.

      The Indonesian-language caption of the post reads: "Air Pollution Suddenly Rises, Making Many People Sick. - Babeh Aldo."

      Screenshot of the misleading post, taken on February 11, 2022

      In the video, Babeh Aldo says: "We suspect this pandemic is an air pollution pandemic. When the government said there would be an Omicron wave, we investigated and found the air pollution levels were rising. So you see, people in several big cities suddenly got sick."

      The number of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia has been increasing in the past weeks as the country is recording a surge of Omicron cases.

      Levels of a toxic air pollutant, the fine particulate matter PM2.5, often reach unhealthy concentrations in Indonesia, particularly in big cities. Jakarta residents have successfully sued various government officials over their inaction.

      The same video has been viewed more than 423,000 times after it was also posted on Facebook here, on YouTube here , on TikTok here and here, and on Twitter here.

      The claim, however, is false.

      There is a scientific consensus that Covid-19 is a disease caused by the virus SARs-CoV-2.

      Experts have rubbished the claim that the pandemic is caused by air pollution.

      "WHO and many research studies have indicated clearly that the cause of Covid-19 is SARS-CoV-2 virus," said Teerachai Amnuaylojaroen, an assistant professor at the School of Energy and Environment at the University of Phayao, in northern Thailand.

      However, according to a study co-authored by Teerachai, air pollutants have been shown to increase the mortality rate of Covid-19 in different countries.

      Diseases caused by air pollution, weather and chemical substances are not infectious, said Hermawan Saputra, an expert at the Indonesian Public Health Association, adding that an outbreak is caused by "something like viruses, bacteria, protozoa and worms."

      As of February 14, 2022, the WHO data shows that Covid-19 has infected more than 410 million people worldwide and caused more than 5.8 million deaths.

      Meanwhile, Indonesia has recorded more than 4.8 million confirmed cases and more than 145,000 deaths.

      (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

      Tags

      air pollutioncovid-19COVID-19
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   Air pollution causes Covid-19
      Claimed By :  Posts on social media
      Fact Check :  False
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!