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Review
. 2022 Sep;29(42):62887-62912.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-21967-4. Epub 2022 Jul 14.

Pseudoscience and fraudulent products for COVID-19 management

Vivek P Chavda  1 , Shreya S Sonak  2 , Nafesa K Munshi  2 , Pooja N Dhamade  2
Affiliations
Review

Pseudoscience and fraudulent products for COVID-19 management

Vivek P Chavda et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

As of now, the COVID-19 pandemic has become uncontrolled and is spreading widely throughout the world. Additionally, new variants of the mutated viral variants have been found in some countries that are more dangerous than the original strain. Even vaccines cannot produce complete protective immunity against the newer strains of SARS-CoV-2. Due to such a dreadful situation, lots of fear and depression have been created among the public. People are looking for the treatment of the disease at any cost and there is a race in the market to provide treatment and make money, whether it is effective or not! In such a condition, many fraud products, remedies, and myths have come into the market, which is falsely claimed to be effective for the disease and can harm the patients. Hence, FDA has banned such products and remedies. In this review, we have compiled all such fraudulent and pseudosciences identified for COVID-19. Currently, in the pandemic time, health agencies are approving the repurposed medicines based on the small-scale clinical data for emergency uses that become ineffective (most of the cases) after large randomized clinical studies. Proper vigilance strategies need to be defined by the regulatory agencies of the nation and routine awareness programs shall be arranged for educating the people and healthcare workers on routine updates.

Keywords: COVID-19; Fraudulent product; Myth; Pseudoscience; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The four waves of health needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Graph adapted from Dr. Victor Tseng—Pulmonary & Critical Care Physician: University of Colorado
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Assessment of the trust in news channels—data analyzed by KFF COVID-19 vaccine monitor. The CNN (Cable News Network), MSNBC (Microsoft/National Broadcasting Company)-A cable news outlet, NPR (National Population Register), network news, and local television are all sources of information watched by millions of people worldwide
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