Several social media users have posted an image of a couple, with medical masks undone, holding each other. It is being claimed that they are husband and wife working as doctors in Italy. “They worked day and night and saved the lives of 134 patients. But on the eighth day, they caught coronavirus,” reads the message.

The complete message is as follows: “рдЗрдЯрд▓реА рдХреЗ рдпрд╣ рджреЛрдиреЛрдВ рдкрддрд┐ рдкрддреНрдиреА рдбреЙ рд╣реИ рдФрд░ рджреЛрдиреЛрдВ рдиреЗ рджрд┐рди рд░рд╛рдд рд▓рдЧ рдХрд░ 134 рдорд░реЛрдЬреЛ рдХреЛ рдмрдЪрд╛рдпрд╛! рд▓реЗрдХрд┐рди рдЦреБрдж 8 рд╡реЗ рджрд┐рди рдХреЛрд░реЛрдирд╛ рд╡рд╛рдпрд░рд╕ рд╕реЗ рдмреАрдорд╛рд░ рд╣реЛ рдЧрдП рдФрд░ рдЕрд▓рдЧ рдЕрд▓рдЧ рдХрдорд░реЗ рдореЗрдВ рд╢рд┐рдлреНрдЯ рдХрд░ рджрд┐рдП рдЧрдП! рдЬрдм рджреЛрдиреЛрдВ рдорд┐рдпрд╛ рдмреАрд╡реА рдбрд╛рдХреНрдЯрд░ рдХреЛ рд▓рдЧрд╛ рдХрд┐ рд╣рдо рдмрдЪ рдирд╣реАрдВ рдкрд╛рдПрдВрдЧреЗ! рджреЛрдиреЛрдВ рд╣реЙрд╕реНрдкрд┐рдЯрд▓ рдХреЗ рд▓рд╛рдВрдЬ рдореЗрдВ,рдЦрдбрд╝реЗ рд╣реЛрдХрд░ рдореБрд╣рдмреНрдмрдд рднрд░реА рдирдЬрд╝рд░реЛрдВ рд╕реЗ.”

Several Twitter users tweeted the viral image along with the claim. Alt News also received several requests to fact-check the images on WhatsApp (+91 76000 11160) and on our official Android application.

Fact-check

Alt News performed a reverse image search on TinEye and found that the photograph was clicked by Emilio Morenatti for Associated Press on March 12. According to the caption, the image shows a man and a woman kissing at Barcelona airport on March 12, 2020. “President Donald Trump, who had downplayed the coronavirus for weeks, suddenly struck a different tone, announcing strict rules on restricting travel from much of Europe to begin this weekend,” per the description.

This image was carried by several media outlets including Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and Fox Tribune.

Thus the social media claim associated with the viral image is false and misleading. They are not Italian doctors who caught coronavirus infection after treating over 100 patients.

About the Author

ЁЯЩП Blessed to have worked as a fact-checking journalist from November 2019 to February 2023.