Nigeria Teams With Facebook & Twitter To Tackle Fake COVID-19 News.

The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to work with Social media and Tech giants Facebook and Twitter in the fight against the spread of fake news concerning coronavirus.

As of recent there have been several rumours spread about the coronavirus, one of such is that,there have been claims that blacks are immune from the virus; and that any black person who contracts it isn’t likely to die because the disease is not any different from the malaria ailment that has afflicted the black world for decades. And this report is false as the disease can affect any race.

The new collaboration between the Nigeria Government and these social media giants, implies that NCDC will be getting free ad space on Facebook about the pandemic.

Nigeria health officials are also partnering with the Facebook owned WhatsApp to send push notifications to users with advice on symptoms and how to avoid infection. While Twitter has been tweaking its algorithm to elevate medical information from authoritative sources – an initiative available in 70 countries, including five in Africa

As at the moment Nigeria has confirmed 190 cases of the novel coronavirus at the time of writing. Of this tally, 24 have recovered and have been discharged, while two have died from the infection.