Coronavirus An Avatar 'To Punish Non-Vegetarians': Hindu Mahasabha Chief

While the global powers are trying to work on a possible cure for the coronavirus that has killed over 2,000 people in China so far, back home, a right-wing group is claiming that the outbreak is a ‘divine blessing’! Hindu Mahasabha chief Chakrapani recently claimed that the coronavirus is an ‘avatar’ on Earth to ‘punish the non-vegetarians.’ In fact, he went on to say that Chinese President Xi Jinping should construct an idol of coronavirus and ‘plead for forgiveness.’ For Indians, Chakrapani had some good news. He said that most of the Indians are God-fearing, vegetarians, they will be spared from the outbreak. Chakrapani claimed that coronavirus is a message for the non-vegetarians to not kill animals. This is not the first time that Chakrapani has made such ludicrous statements on coronavirus. Earlier, he had claimed that drinking ‘gaumutra (cow urine)’ can cure the viral infection. So far, India has been able to stave off the outbreak successfully. Kerala and West Bengal are only two states that have reported positive cases. While the scientists are busy in making an injection, some reports suggest that it will take nearly six months to find a reliable cure.

So little is known about the coronavirus that there are several myths about the viral infection. From hand dryers to pets, there are myths about anything and everything that can spread the virus. However, that’s not true. According to the World Health Organization, “Hand dryers are not effective in killing the 2019-nCoV. To protect yourself against the new coronavirus, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.”

Meanwhile, a recent ‘The Washington Times’ report cited an Israeli microbiologist as saying that coronavirus is likely linked to a lab associated with China’s biological warfare programme. “The Wuhan Institute of Virology is the country’s only declared site that has the capacity to work with deadly strains of viruses,” the report said.

The death count due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China has surpassed the toll from the SARS outbreak on the mainland and Hong Kong almost two decades ago. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a disease in the same family as the new coronavirus, left nearly 774 people dead in mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. More than 120 others died around the world.