KEY POINTS
  • A Breitbart video containing dangerous coronavirus misinformation went viral on Facebook before it was removed.
  • Those in the video claim that the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is "a cure for Covid" and "you don't need a mask" to slow the spread of coronavirus. 
  • The claims are in contrast to the advice from public health officials to prevent the spread of the virus.

In this article

U.S. President Donald Trump wears a protective face mask during a tour of the Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies' Innovation Center, a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant where components for a potential coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine candidate are being developed, in Morrrisville, North Carolina, U.S., July 27, 2020.

A video containing misleading information on the coronavirus clocked up millions of views before it was pulled from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

The video was created by right-wing media outlet Breitbart. It depicts a group of people dressed in white lab coats — who call themselves "America's Frontline Doctors" — staging a press conference outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. Those in the video claim that the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is "a cure for Covid" and "you don't need a mask" to slow the spread of coronavirus. 

In this article