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| CREDIT: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images Misinformation around the death of 27-year-old Aude 'Ady' Alaskar from Sydney has been circulating around Arabic WhatsApp group. There have also been conspiracy-filled Instagram and Facebook pages that are doing everything they can to convince followers he did not die due to COVID-19. Authorities confirmed the man wasn't vaccinated against COVID-19 and contracted the virus from his wife, an aged-care worker. The forklift driver from Warwick Farm passed away during his 13th day of quarantine. He very suddenly deteriorated. New South Wales Chief Health Officer Dr. Kerry Chant has said, "He did complain of feeling a little fatigued but the deterioration happened suddenly is my understanding." Since then, misinformation has been spreading around trying to remove COVID-19 from it's role in the man's death. A message spread through WhatsApp claimed that his family has a history of heart conditions and this is what contributed to his death. The message was written in Arabic but states he was "90% healthy" before he collapsed around 4pm and died due to a heart attack. There is no indication whether this message comes from his family or is fake, but it has been spreading like wildfire, with influences promoting the man didn't contract COVID-19 or die from it. An influencer with over 10,000 followers, Maria Zee made bizarre remarks during an Instagram Live, one being that Alaskar came back to life, and medical staff "destroyed the paperwork." She claims that she received a note from Alaskar that shares his "experience" and wrongly blames his death on pneumonia. She also refused to mention COVID-19 by name, instead calling it "C O so and so." Facebook is taking serious action to prevent the spread of misinformation about COVID-19. NSW Health released a statement saying people with COVID-19 can develop myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, pericarditis, inflammation of the outer lining of the heart. A spokesperson has said, "Myocarditis and pericarditis can be caused by many conditions including autoimmune conditions, viruses and bacteria, certain cancers and certain medications." "People who get sick with COVID-19 can develop myocarditis and pericarditis. There is insufficient evidence available to determine whether people who contract the Delta variant of the virus that cause COVID-19 have a different risk of developing myocarditis and/or pericarditis compared with the original virus or other variants." Professor Peter Collignon has said recent studies in New York suggested COVID-19 can be associated with some forms of certain death, although it was rare. Suspicions around Alaskar's death and other COVID-19 seem to stem from a similar thought; if someone who dies of COVID-19 has an underlying condition, then the virus wasn't the ultimate cause of death. "Having a binary view of this is counter-productive," said Collignon. Misinformation and conspiracy theories linking Alaskar's death to government strategies to boost vaccine rollout are also circulating. A man who claimed to be Alaskar's cousin revealed there is a "history" of heart conditions within the family and denied that Alaskar died due to COVID-19. There has been no confirmation on the accuracy of this man's claim. |
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