NEW DELHI (AP) — Misinformation about the coronavirus is surging in India as the death toll from COVID-19 rises. Fueled by anguish, distrust and political polarization, the claims are further compounding India’s crisis. The falsehoods include bogus cures, baseless tales of vaccine side effects and unsubstantiated allegations of blame. Fact-checkers say the pace and amount of misinformation has only picked up as the virus has spread. Much of the misinformation travels on private messaging apps like WhatsApp, which has more than 400 million subscribers in India. WhatsApp says it is partnering with fact-checking organizations and working to give users accurate information about the virus and the vaccine.
