Claim: “Constant sex kills Coronavirus shows CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and the network’s logo.
Full text: A fabricated CNN report carried by social media users (Facebook and WhatsApp) is circulating among citizens, marketing the false claim that constant engagement in sex “kills” the COVID-19-causing virus in a person’s body.
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases. An outbreak of a new coronavirus disease, Covid-19, was identified in Wuhan, China in late December 2019.
World Health Organization says that the risk of communicating the disease increases during instances “in which people are in close proximity to one another for long periods of time”, and when engaging in activities “where more particles are expelled from the mouth”.
While there had already been studies that looked into the possibility of sexually transmitting COVID-19 — including one that was able to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the semen of individuals who either had or currently have COVID-19 — there is still no conclusive evidence to prove that the disease can be spread through sexual intercourse.
Verification: The Stage Media searched the website of CNN and found no news report titled “constant sex kills coronavirus,” contrary to what is been spread by social media users.
We cannot say where the picture of Wolf was taken from, but we suggest it is from a video broadcast of the news outlet.
The viral social media claim t carrying the fabricated report recirculated as countries all over the world continue to fight the pandemic.
Reverse image search revealed that the fabricated CNN report was created from a meme template that has been widely used in producing false news reports, including other erroneous claims on COVID-19 cures. Its oldest retrievable copy could be traced back to a July 2015 post in a blog named “Meme fun”.
And Google and TinEye reverse image searches led us to many other versions of the same screenshot, but with different text – such as “Alcohol kills coronavirus” or “Polish vodka cures coronavirus”.
The fabricated CNN report carrying the specific claim on sex as a cure against COVID-19 has been going around as early as March 2020. It had been debunked by other fact-checking organizations such as Nigeria’s Dubawa, Africa Check, and Health Analytics Data.
Conclusion: There is no existing evidence proving that frequent sex rids one’s body of the SARS-CoV-2. Sexual intercourse is also not listed as one of the possible treatments for COVID-19, as per the World Health Organization (WHO).
