Search interest in Coronil—a false Covid cure—soars in India as the pandemic continues to surge
As Covid-19 infections continue to surge across India and access to hospital beds and life-saving medications remain scarce, interest in an unproven cure for the deadly disease—promoted by a popular Hindu spiritual leader and even endorsed by the country’s health minister—has grown online, as people across the country desperately seek relief from the pandemic....
Search trends for Coronil peaked around mid-April amid an unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases in India and remain very high as several parts of the country continue to report shortages of various life-saving drugs. Coronil’s popularity is due to being sold by Patanjali Ayurved, founded by popular yoga guru and Hindu spiritual leader Ramdev.featuring around 100 young and healthy Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms to support its claims about Coronil’s effectiveness in treating the disease, but experts warn it is difficult to draw any real conclusions from such a small trial.
Tests conducted by Birmingham University found that the Coronil pills contained plant-based ingredients that cannot protect against Covid-19,