According to Google Trends (NASDAQ: GOOGL), internet users are searching for "corona beer virus" presumably to learn more about the Wuhan coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV. Despite no connection existing between Corona the alcoholic beverage and the coronavirus, popular search terms have included "corona beer virus," "beer virus," and "beer coronavirus."
"We believe, by and large, that consumers understand there's no linkage between the virus and our business," reassured Maggie Bowman, a representative of Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ), the producer of Corona, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD).
While these search trends don't necessarily mean that people actually believe that beer is related to the virus, this phenomenon hasn't been the only false or misleading trend circulating the internet related to the coronavirus.
Viral memes making their way across social media have included suggestions to eat garlic, rub on sesame oil, get enough vitamin C, gargle mouthwash, and use a nasal saline solution. These ideas are all apparently intended to keep the virus at bay. However, they're all false.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stepped in to address this kind of misinformation and provide a more fact-based response to public interest, tweeting about several of the popular though incorrect ideas.
"Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from the 2019-nCoV," tweeted the WHO.
Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) are also implementing strategies in an effort to stop misinformation about the coronavirus from going viral.
Twitter now directs users to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) when they search for coronavirus, and Facebook's top search results list posts from Harvard University, BBC News, and NBC News (NASDAQ: CMCSA).
According to the CDC, there's no vaccine to prevent the virus. The CDC does list "everyday preventative actions" on their website, but none of their recommendations include garlic, sesame oil, or any of the other erroneous trending suggestions.
As a result of the Wuhan coronavirus, there have been over 600 deaths with more than 31,000 cases worldwide. The majority of cases have occurred in China.