A man wearing a protective face mask walks past an illustration of a virus outside a regional science center as the city and surrounding areas face local restrictions in an effort to avoid a local lockdown being forced upon the region amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Oldham, Britain August 3, 2020. (File photo from REUTERS/Phil Noble)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, not by a bacterium, the Department of Health (DOH) reiterated on Friday.
The department made the statement to warn the public against false stories that a bacterium is the cause of COVID-19.
In an advisory, the DOH said the reports had claimed that it was Singapore that made the discovery.
鈥淸We are warning] the public against circulating false claims indicating that Singapore discovered that COVID-19 does not exist as a virus but [as a] bacterium that has been exposed to radiation and causes human death by coagulation in the blood,鈥� said DOH.
鈥淭he Singapore Ministry of Health clarified that this information did not originate from them and referenced similar misleading claims that have appeared in other countries,鈥� it added.
The DOH emphasized that COVID-19 is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2 and not by a bacterium.
Filipinos were then advised to remain vigilant against misleading and to seek updates only from legitimate sources and platforms.
According to Merriam-Webster, a virus is not a living organism and can only grow and reproduce in the cells of a host.
Bacteria, on the other hand, are single-celled organisms that produce their own energy and reproduce on their own.
While both can cause disease, most bacteria are harmless, and many are beneficial.