False: COVID -19 is caused by bacteria that causes blood clotting.

By: Ranjini K
June 19 2020

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COVID-19 is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2, and blood clots are one of the symptoms among the coronavirus infected patients.Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause illness in animals or humans, coronaviridae is the family of the virus which causes the COVID-19 disease. It is a similar kind of virus from the same family that caused severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) outbreak in 2003. Scientists believe that the SARS-CoV-2 is formed as a result of a mutation in the SARS-CoV (SARS). Some patients with COVID-19 might develop a bacterial infection. Studies from the Netherlands and France suggested that clots arise in about 20-30 percent of the critically ill COVID-19 patients. Few probable hypotheses have been drawn by the investigators to explain this phenomenon, and they are just commencing to launch studies aimed at gaining insights on the thrombosis found in COVID-19 patients. There were several posts on social media claiming that Italy had done autopsies on dead COVID-19 infected patients against the orders of the WHO and that the autopsies revealed that COVID-19 was caused by a bacteria and not a virus. This claim is false and is not backed by any scientific research. The WHO had released guidelines and safety measures to be taken before performing an autopsy on a dead COVID-19 infected patient. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.