1 Covid-19 Death In Singapore Accidentally Reported By CNA Causes Mini Panic

If you happen to be one of the old school types who watches the TV for news updates, you may have witnessed something shocking today (13 Feb).

Channel NewsAsia (CNA) viewers had the shock of their lives when they saw the table showing the latest Covid-19 statistics.

Death counts around the world – Singapore, 1. If you’re thinking, “No, that can’t be,” you’re absolutely right. CNA had indeed made a mistake.

Photo courtesy of an MS News Reader

So if any of your uncles or aunties who were fast enough to catch this are already sharing it on Facebook or WhatsApp, please tell them to stop.

Death count was for Hong Kong, not Singapore

For those who’ve been keeping up with global Covid-19 updates, you’d know that the only deaths outside of China have only been in the following countries:

Philippines

Hong Kong

Japan

Since Hong Kong is just below Singapore in the table, whoever was in charge of updating the stats may have keyed the number in the wrong row.

We’ve all been there before, and we can’t get mad at human error.

CNA corrected Covid-19 death error within minutes

Fortunately, someone at CNA probably noticed the mistake, and updated with the correct statistics within minutes, giving those a little late to the news no chance to spot it.

Photo courtesy of an MS News reader

CNA was even honest enough to admit their mistake to concerned netizens who reached out to them on Facebook.

Photo courtesy of an MS News reader

We’re sure the reader appreciated CNA’s integrity.

Perhaps aware that many others who didn’t reach out may have spotted the error, CNA even reported the incident themselves in an article which you can read here.

We salute the staff at CNA for responding so quickly and truthfully.

Always look out for official information

As much as we trust established news sites, this blip reminds us that they’re subject to error too. Checking against official news from authorities like the Ministry of Health (MOH) will definitely help you identify the correct facts.

But let’s not get upset with CNA, as the rush to produce steady updates of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis is surely difficult to keep up with.

Nonetheless, they have done an excellent job at reporting the latest news, and we should thank them for that. If you want to continue following their updates, you can visit the link here.

Remember to fact-check everything you see, no matter where you see it, before sharing the news with others.

Featured image courtesy of an MS News reader.