Science says drinking silver won’t cure coronavirus, but companies offering the “cure” are trying to capitalize on the COVID-19 panic across Facebook and Twitter.
One target of the FTC and FDA crackdown was the myth that drinking silver can help kill coronavirus, a falsehood presented by the Jim Bakker Show. Its host, disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, promoted a range of products - the Silver Sol Liquid, Silver Sol Gel and Silver Lozenges - in a video titledThe once-famous televangelist Bakker was called out by the Right Wing Watch in February, after the host claimed drinking the silver solution can kill coronavirus in just 12 hours.
Another proponent of the silver-as-panacea claims was Vital Silver, which, On its Facebook page, backed up the pastor, claiming: “It’s actually widely acknowledged in both science and the medical industry that ionic silver kills coronaviruses. And it’s now known that the Chinese are employing ionic silver in their fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
Herbal Amy owner, Amy Weidner, said she’d removed one quote from advertising as a result of the warning. “Because it's an all natural herbal product, the FDA does not want me to quote anyone saying anything in the product description that would insinuate that it treats, mitigates or cures any diseases,” she told.
Meanwhile, GuruNanda was seen promoting its frankincense solution, Quinessence its essential oils and Vivify a loose leaf tea, all with promises of helping defeat COVID-19 with no scientific backing.All were promoting their products across social media, in particular Facebook and Twitter. Such sites are trying to crack down on misinformation but it's clear that attempts to fact-check, and redirect users to reliable sources of medical information, have struggled.
FTC chairman Joe Simons warned about companies capitalizing on the coronavirus panic. “There already is a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of coronavirus,” said Simons. “What we don’t need in this situation are companies preying on consumers by promoting products with fraudulent prevention and treatment claims.”Scams everywhere
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