The group World Doctors Alliance spreads misinformation about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus, and the reliability of diagnostic tests

COVID-19 has spread to every continent and hit many countries. Accordingly, WHO declared it a pandemic in March 2020. COVID-19 is not a type of flu, as it is caused by a coronavirus that belongs to a completely different virus family to that of the flu virus. Like many other countries, Ireland registered its first COVID-19 death in March 2020 and has recorded more than 1,800 deaths as of October 2020.

Hydroxychloroquine, alone or in combination with azithromycin, found ineffective for treating COVID-19 in large clinical trials

Large-scale clinical trials demonstrate no beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine in terms of viral shedding, disease severity, or mortality among COVID-19 patients. However, numerous ongoing clinical trials are still evaluating the potential use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent infection in people with a high risk of exposure to COVID-19. Public health institutions caution against unsupervised use of the drug, as it may increase the risk of cardiac toxicity in people with underlying medical conditions.

German Ministry employee makes unsupported claim that COVID-19 pandemic is a global false alarm in widely circulated yet unsolicited opinion article

Approximately 400,000 people have died worldwide in the past six months from COVID-19. Current evidence indicates that the impact would have been more devastating without the implementation of control measures. Epidemiological data suggest that early intervention has successfully slowed the spread of COVID-19, allowing governments to manage the outbreak and minimize secondary mortality due to other causes.