Heads Up: That Post About Coronavirus in Lander, Wyoming is Fake
No, there are no confirmed or even suspected cases of the novel coronavirus in Wyoming.
That's what Wyoming Department of Health spokeswoman Kim Deti confirmed to K2 Radio News in an email Wednesday afternoon.
Deti was responding to questions about false claims contained in a fictitious "news story" floating around social media.
The post, titled 'Coronavirus case in lander Wyoming' [sic], was created by a website that purposefully spreads misinformation under the guise of a "prank" -- worldgreynews.com. The site is a "fake news generator," with apparently any click on a story redirecting the user to a download for riskware or malware.
The site even admits, at the bottom of the page, that the published information is not truthful.
Still, the fake post will likely be shared widely amid heightened concern regarding the new coronavirus, which had killed at least 132 people as of Wednesday morning, with all of those deaths occurring in China.
There are only five confirmed cases in the United States. Again, none of those are in Wyoming.
For the latest real news from the Wyoming Department of Health regarding the coronavirus, visit their official website. The department is closely monitoring outbreak and is updating their page with current information.