Ambulance bosses slam ‘alarmist and incorrect’ viral WhatsApp voice note that claims paramedics will no longer help coronavirus patients who can’t breathe
- South East Coast Ambulance Service warned about the message on Twitter
- People were told not to forward it to stop the spread of false information
- The service also thanked people for following government lockdown guidelines
Ambulance bosses have told people to ignore an ‘alarmist and incorrect’ voice message being circulated that claims people suffering with coronavirus won’t receive medical help.
South East Coast Ambulance Service tweeted at 10.33am today to warn people that the information claimed in the WhatsApp voice note was wrong.
The recording claimed that ambulances will no longer be sent to help people who are struggling to breathe and that people should not exercise outside.
The ambulance service have not said whether the voice note is a hoax or a genuine message from a member of staff – but they have confirmed the information within the recording is wrong.
South East Coast Ambulance Service tweeted a statement this morning stating that the information in the voice note was incorrect and should be ignored
They have urged anybody who has received the recording not to share it to prevent the spread of false information.
In a statement SECAmb said: ‘We are aware of a voice message being shared currently on social media regarding the ambulance response to coronavirus. The alarmist information being shared in the message is not correct.
‘We would urge people to disregard the message and not share it further.
‘In line with our ongoing plans during this challenging time, we are continuing to follow national guidelines regarding the ambulance response and thank the public for their ongoing support in following the government’s advice.’
Checkout worker Kate Jones, 34, from Oxford, was sent the voice note in her community WhatsApp group of 135 people. She told MailOnline: ‘I am a mother to three children under five years, I work on checkout at a supermarket and still have to go to work.
‘I’m already concerned about who/what I’m coming into contact with at work and taking back to my children.
‘The lady in the note sounded so eloquent and well informed, that it made me feel even more worried than I already am.
‘I fortunately saw a retweet of the message from SECAmb, but now I’m not sure what to believe. I still think that there must be some truth to the voice note.’
Janine Sheldon took to Twitter to raise her concerns about the message. She said: ‘I got sent this and am a nervous wreck. I have 2 children and my husband has stage 4 cancer.
‘I have medical conditions too and have been in tears fearing that we’re all going to die even though we are self-isolated and doing everything we should do.’
There are 55,957 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK with 6,159 deaths.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is currently in his third day in intensive care and Cabinet Minister Michael Gove has gone into self-isolation after a family member showed coronavirus symptoms.