Image: Instagram/@cathygonzaga
Alex Gonzaga apologized after posting unverified information about the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines.
The vlogger shared a forwarded message stating that new COVID-19 patients contracted the disease when they went out for groceries. The post has since been deleted, but one netizen (@sayperjude) uploaded a screenshot of it on Twitter last Sunday, April 5.
Hello @Mscathygonzaga, you have 2M++ followers, i hope before you post something that has been forwarded to you, you may want to consider the ff:
1. Contemplate on the msg first
2. If you didn’t understand, try to ask
3. Or verify the info first.
YOU’RE NOT HELPING SA TOTOO LANG pic.twitter.com/AdAaUY3kie
— Jude #OUSTDuterte (@sayperjude) April 5, 2020
The message urged others to buy in bulk to lessen trips to the grocery. It also advised people to disinfect their groceries in a mixture consisting of one cup of bleach and nine cups of water.
“Hello @Mscathygonzaga, you have [over two million] followers, [I] hope before you post something that has been forwarded to you, you may want to consider the [following]: 1. Contemplate on the [message] first 2. If you didn’t understand, try to ask 3. Or verify the [information] first,” the netizen said. “YOU’RE NOT HELPING SA TOTOO LANG (to be honest).”
Along with Gonzaga’s now-deleted post, @sayperjude uploaded an advisory from the Philippine General Hospital regarding the content of the said message. The hospital stated that there is no such trend of people contracting COVID-19 from groceries.
They also stressed that travel history to places with “known local transmission” and close contact with COVID-19 patients are the two most important risk factors in getting the disease. The medical center then urged the public to verify posts online and to trust only those from official pages.
Gonzaga quickly responded to the netizen, saying, “Hi yes! Sorry [I] deleted it na (already)!”
Hi yes! Sorry i deleted it na! It was forwarded kasi from a friend na may contact sa doctors. Pasensya na. https://t.co/3HGBChx3X8
— Alex Gonzaga (@Mscathygonzaga) April 5, 2020
She added that it came from a friend who had contacts with doctors. Following her apology, the vlogger also posted the PGH advisory on her own page.
— Alex Gonzaga (@Mscathygonzaga) April 5, 2020
Prior to her posts regarding the spread of COVID-19, Gonzaga and a group of volunteers distributed relief goods to families in Taytay, Rizal, who are affected by the enhanced community quarantine. /ra
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