Bulk of disinformation and misleading information on COVID-19 circulating in Georgia is political in nature and spread by openly pro-Russian as well as Georgian-language news outlets. Key messages conveyed through it are:  Virus is man-made, manufactured by the USA; some of the outlets assert that the Lugar Lab is the source of virus; The role...

Georgian and foreign media outlets are actively spreading a conspiracy theory claiming 5G technology can spread the coronavirus. The myth supposedly gained traction when a Belgian doctor linked the dangers of 5G technology to COVID-19 during an interview in January 2020.   Different opinions have already emerged in social networks about 5G allegedly posing a threat...

On April 12, an online edition Progressnews published an article headlined “WHO top official dies after choking on broccoli – Ryan Paterson intended to disclose sensational information about COVID-19.”  The article notes that Deputy Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Ryan Paterson died shortly before the press conference, where he intended to unveil sensational...

Amid coronavirus outbreak, Georgian and Russian websites, as well as Georgian and English social networking pages have recently reported that Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates plans to use microchip implants to fight COVID-19. According to the conspiracy theory, Bill Gates will launch human-implantable capsules and digital health certificates to manage people.  Among Georgian media outlets, the...

On April 4, Newposts published an article headlined “Coronavirus found in cats – scientists conclude that animals are able to spread Covid-19.” The article reads at the very beginning that COVID-19 can be transmitted by animals and that according to the study conducted in China, 15% of stray cats living in Wuhan have tested positive....

Russian and Georgian websites, as well as social networks reported on April 6-7 that Professor Charles Lieber from Harvard University had been arrested in the United States for allegedly creating the novel coronavirus. The articles with identical content noted that Charles Lieber was cooperating with Wuhan University of Technology, receiving an impressive annual salary and...

On April 5, Facebook page “კარდჰუ” published a post, according to which the population does not observe the self-isolation rules in the German city of Hannover, where 1039 people have got infected with coronavirus. The photo uploaded by “კარდჰუ” misleads the readers as if a lot of people are walking in the streets of Hannover....

On April 2, Facebook page of a clickbait website wnews.ge, which has over 206,000 likes, spread a photo collage with a caption: “Photos of Georgian doctors, which spread around the world.” Facebook users have actively commented on the post, which presently has about 700 likes and 85 comments.  On April 4, the same photo collage...

On March 28 and 30, “Sputnik Georgia” published two articles on its Georgian and Russian-language websites, claiming that a new drug against the coronavirus has been created in Russia. On March 28, Sputnik first published an article in the Georgian language headlined “Russian scientists have introduced a drug for the coronavirus treatment,” while later, on...

The interview of TV Pirveli journalist Vakho Sanaia with Director of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Amiran Gamkrelidze aired on March 28 has triggered strong criticism against the journalist. An organized campaign against Sanaia emerged after the journalist asked clarifying questions about the government’s coronavirus response and testing. Antiliberal Facebook pages,...

Update: After publishing this artcile, Myth Detector was contacted by a representative of the online platform „ქრისტიანული არხი“ (“Christian Channel”), stating that they removed the article mentioned bellow. The mistake was caused by the fact that the source (bibliatodo.com) from which the journalist translated the material into Georgian turned out to be unreliable. Online platform...

Amid the spread of the novel coronavirus in Georgia, the pro-Kremlin actors in the country are promoting the opinion that the West has abandoned Georgia during the pandemic and only China assists the country in tackling the virus.  In fact, the pro-Kremlin actors are referring to 1,000 diagnostic tests handed over by the Chinese government....