Nairobi governor Mike Sonko was this week in the news after claiming that alcohol has been found to kill the Coronavirus.
Sonko was making food donations, in which he included small bottles of Hennessy cognac. The controversial governor made false claims that the World Health Organization had recommended alcohol consumption as a measure to fight the virus.
“We will have some small bottles of Hennessy in the food packs that we will be giving to our people…” – Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko
Note: WHO warns that drinking alcohol does not protect you against COVID-19 and can be dangerous pic.twitter.com/vuSuVAb8dy
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) April 14, 2020
While it’s true that alcohol kills viruses, it only works outside the body. It was not clear whether this move was an honest mistake or his idea of a joke. But it did make news waves around the world.
Major news organizations like the Daily Mail, The New York Post etc. ran the story.
The premium alcohol maker has now responded, stating that neither their brand nor any other alcoholic beverage protects against the COVID-19.
Here’s the statement.
Our attention has been drawn to a video circulating across different media channels on Tuesday 14 of April 2020 alleging that the consumption of Hennessy helps to fight against COVID-19.
Hennessy would like to stress that the consumption of our brand or any other alcoholic beverage does not protect against the virus.
In line with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health of Kenya (MOH), Hennessy advises on washing hands regularly with soap and water or hydro-alcoholic gels, wearing face masks, practicing social distancing and staying at home.
In this period, as always, Hennessy strongly advises to drink responsibly.
Stay home. Stay safe
