This image was created using only photos of healthcare workers who died of coronavirus in Mexico
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on July 10, 2020 at 11:00
- Updated on September 2, 2020 at 19:34
- 2 min read
- By AFP Sri Lanka
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
The collage was published here on Facebook on July 2, 2020.
The Spanish-language text above the image reads: “Medical heroes: 198 fallen in the fight”.
The post’s Sinhala-language caption translates to English as: “This artwork has been created using photographs of all doctors and nurses who lost their lives to corona."
The image was also shared here, here and here on Facebook alongside a similar claim.
The claim is misleading.
A keyword search found the same image published in this June 26, 2020 article by the Mexican newspaper Milenio.
The Spanish headline translates to English as: “Health personnel who sacrificed their lives while fighting the coronavirus”.
Below is a screenshot of the report:
The image was also published on Milenio’s Instagram as seen below:
As of July 2020, no international health body has published a global total for deaths of healthcare workers caused by COVID-19.
According to this study conducted by the UK newspaper The Guardian and US non-profit organisation Kaiser Health News, at least 768 frontline healthcare workers have died of COVID-19 in the US alone.
As of July 9, 2020, no healthcare workers have died from COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, according to the Sri Lanka Health Promotion Bureau.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
