OTTAWA—Cocaine and drinking bleach do not cure coronavirus — and Canadian governments are trying to make sure these and other social media hoaxes don’t go viral.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Ontario’s Ministry of Health have launched social media advertising campaigns aimed at “neutralizing” misinformation and promoting facts as a counter to the various conspiracy theories and hoaxes circulating on platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

The campaigns are up against promises of “miracle” cures, including everything from cocaine to drinking bleach, being spread on social media. While it’s difficult to quantify the reach and impact of misinformation campaigns, there’s little doubt Canadians are being exposed to them.

Figures provided to the Star show PHAC has already spent $200,000 on their advertising campaign, while Ontario’s Ministry of Health has spent $3,800. Both agencies are trying to direct social media users to credible, up-to-date information about the virus and its symptoms, and to “neutralize” misinformation according to a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

“(The efforts include) continually monitoring the public environment and providing accurate, timely and authoritative information to the public through a variety of means, including on Canada.ca/coronavirus, and regular press conferences with ministers and Canadian health officials,” a spokesperson for PHAC said Tuesday.

But there are concerns that misinformation around the COVID-19 epidemic have intensified, making the governments’ efforts more difficult. Last week, a top U.S. State Department official testified that Russia was behind a “swarm” of fake social media accounts that have been “engaged in the midst of this world health crisis.”

“We saw the entire ecosystem of Russian disinformation at play, Russian state proxy websites, Russian state media as well as swarms of online false personas pushing out false narratives,” Lea Gabrielle told the U.S. Senate’s foreign affairs committee Thursday. The Kremlin has denied the allegations.

On Monday, the U.K. government announced it would create a counter-intelligence team to combat the spread of coronavirus-related misinformation. The cross-department team will be responsible for identifying false information and establishing the “scope, impact and whether it needs to be actively countered,” according to The Guardian.

While much of Canada’s efforts seem to be focused on pushing out accurate information, the country’s electronic intelligence agency confirmed Tuesday evening that they “are contributing to Canada’s response to the COVID-19 virus.”

The Communications Security Establishment cautioned Canadians against those who may use the health crisis as an opportunity to take advantage of the vulnerable.

“Cyber actors use social engineering and topical subjects, including COVID-19, to maximize their efforts and lure targets to click on a malicious link,” the agency said in a statement.

The first coronavirus fatality in Canada was recorded on Monday; an elderly man in a British Columbia long-term care home. As of Tuesday evening, Canada had confirmed 79 cases of coronavirus across the country — mostly in Ontario (36) and B.C. (39).

In response to misinformation circulating on their platforms, both Facebook and Twitter have prominently displayed links to government health agencies whenever users search for “coronavirus.”