A medical staffer leads patients who have displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 illness in group exercises at a hospital in Wuhan, the epicenter of the global outbreak AFP/STRWASHINGTON: Thousands of Russian-linked social media accounts have launched a coordinated effort to spread alarm about the new coronavirus, disrupting global efforts to fight the epidemic, US officials say.
The claims that have been circulating in recent weeks include allegations that the virus is a US effort to"wage economic war on China," that it is a biological weapon manufactured by the CIA or part of a Western-led effort"to push anti-China messages".US individuals including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, a philanthropist who has spent billions on global health programs, have also been falsely accused of involvement in the virus.
Russian state-funded media started pushing anti-Western messages about the cause of the epidemic on Jan 20, with operators of the social media accounts beginning to post globally the following day, US officials say. "In the Russian doctrine of information confrontation, this is classic," said another official from the Global Engagement Center.
US intelligence has also said that Russia interfered through social media manipulation in the 2016 election and seeks to do so again in 2020. The Kremlin has denied the charges and President Donald Trump has scoffed at suggestions of Russian help.Scientists believe the COVID-19 illness originated in late December in Wuhan at a market selling exotic animals for human consumption.
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