In the analysis of November Twitter influencers, a Mongolian blogger caught attention for including a link to a publication on Sputnik.by in his tweet:Can chaga help in the treatment of coronavirus?Publication date: November 11, 2020
Let’s take a closer look at the original source of this information with its clearly clickbait headline.It seems like your request is incomplete. Could you please provide the text you would like me to translate?It turns out that the head of the laboratory at the Federal Budgetary Institution of Science “State Scientific Center for Virology and Biotechnology”“Vector”“Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Tamara Vladimirovna Tepliakova”“said”In his interview with the publication “Science from First Hands,” dated November 10, 2020:
Tamara Vladimirovna had to test the effectiveness of the chaga extract prepared using this method on herself when she and her husband fell ill with COVID-19, experiencing characteristic symptoms such as fever, loss of smell, and so on (a swab test confirmed the presence of the virus). Like her sick relatives, friends, and colleagues, she took the chaga extract alongside symptomatic treatment (for example, taking antipyretics for temperatures above 38.5–39°C). According to all the unwitting “subjects,” the symptoms of the infection disappeared within 5–7 days.
The remainder of the publication is dedicated to research on the antiviral activity of Siberian fungi, which has been conducted at the “Vector” center since 2008, focusing on a range of pathogenic viruses: type 1 immunodeficiency virus, type 2 herpes simplex virus, West Nile virus, various subtypes of influenza viruses, and orthopoxviruses, including the variola virus.
From other publications, it follows that this classified research center houses strains.anthrax, Ebola, and smallpoxEarlier this autumn, reports emerged detailing how the coronavirus vaccine trials were conducted on volunteers:“Living in a bunker, eating brizol, playing mafia”: how volunteers tested a new coronavirus vaccine from ‘Vector’Date of publication: September 30, 2020.
Using the social media monitoring platform YouScan, let’s take a look at the frequency of mentions and sources of publications regarding the healing properties of chaga:
Once again, the topic starter is a publication from RIA Novosti: https://ria.ru/20201111/koronavirus-1584035116.html.
Once again, the topic starter is a publication from RIA Novosti: https://ria.ru/20201111/koronavirus-1584035116.html.Only in the news publication on Mail.ru https://news.mail.ru/society/44108905/ it was stated:It should be noted that this study did not undergo review by independent experts, as is typically the case in similar situations. Therefore, the conclusions drawn from this research should be approached with caution.Reposts that clearly state that Novosibirsk scientists have proven:
- https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5fab815b9a794744e14a0170
- https://www.belnovosti.by/koronavirus-covid-19/virusologi-nazvali-lesnoy-produkt-iscelyayushchiy-ot-koronavirusa-za-nedelyu
- http://ross-bel.ru/about/news_post/berezovyj-grib-podavil-razmnozhenie-chastic-koronavirusa
- https://grodnonews.by/news/obrazovanie/berezovyy_grib_podavil_razmnozhenie_chastits_koronavirusa.html
- http://diatlovonews.by/2020/11/berezovyj-grib-chaga-podavil-razmnozhenie-chastic-koronavirusa/
It draws attention to publications in Belarusian regional media.PublicationIn Komsomolskaya Pravda (December 3, 2020), it should stop the dissemination of information about a simple method for treating a serious illness:
The sensation, unfortunately, turned out to be premature. The desired was presented as reality. But what was the truth? Scientists at “Vector” experimentally determined that water infusions of chaga inhibit the reproduction of SARS-CoV-2. In August, they filed a patent application for “Coronavirus Replication Inhibitor Based on Water Extract of the Mushroom Inonotus obliquus” to secure the topic. However, this is by no means a medicine. Clinical trials on mice and humans are still ahead before any real COVID treatments can emerge.
Another example of how unproven, questionable information related to the COVID-19 pandemic can easily spread without additional journalistic verification or scientific commentary, using news aggregators.
