By: Annie Priya
February 5 2020
Misleading: Social media posts claim that coronavirus has already been patented in the United States.
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Fact-Check
The Verdict Misleading
A press release by the Pirbright Institute and the patent document filed on July 23, 2015, refutes the claim.
Claim ID 7beaf514
A press release by the Pirbright Institute and the patent document filed on July 23, 2015, refutes the claim.The Pirbright Institute has given a clarification on 4 January 2020 saying that there is misinformation being spread regarding the Institute and its research on social media following outbreaks of a Novel Coronavirus (nCoV). It says that Pirbright does not work with human coronaviruses and carries out research on infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a coronavirus that infects poultry. Also, it mentioned that it has been granted Patent no.10130701 which covers the development of an attenuated (weakened) form of the coronavirus. The published document shows that the Pirbright Institute was granted patent rights in 2015 for treating and preventing viral diseases of livestock. 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.