Reuters/Shutterstock
A composite image of a doctor in Hubei treating a person infected with the Wuhan coronavirus, and a bucket of Corona Extra beer.
People appear to be fretting that the Mexican beer Corona Extra is somehow linked to the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China that's killed more than 130 people.
Searches for "corona beer virus," "beer virus," and "beer coronavirus" have increased substantially around the world since January 18, data from Google Trends shows.
A boom in similar search terms was first observed by Indy100 on Friday. Since then, similar searches have risen more still.
Between January 18 and January 26, searches for "corona beer virus" jumped 2,300% globally, Google Trends data shows.
Reuters
Workers in protective suits check the temperature of passengers arriving at the Xianning North Station last Friday.
Searches for "beer virus" jumped 744% in the same period, and searches for "beer coronavirus" jumped 3,233%.
The first reported case of the deadly coronavirus was on December 8 in the city of Wuhan, central China.
Wuhan and several other Chinese cities have since been quarantined. As of Wednesday, 132 people have been killed and 6,000 infected.
Seventeen countries have reported cases of the coronavirus, including the US.
Google Trends
A Google Trends graph showing how global searches for the terms "corona beer virus," "beer virus," and "beer coronavirus" have spiked since the outbreak.
Cambodia and Denmark topped the list of places which saw a surge in searches for "Corona beer virus," the data shows.
Search data from the US also shows many people are searching for the beer and the virus together, in an apparent confusion.
Google Trends
A Google Trends map showing which states are searching for terms connecting the Wuhan coronavirus to the Corona beer.There is no connection between the beer and the virus.
This specific type of outbreak is called a coronavirus because under a microscope, the viruses have crown-like spikes protruding from their surfaces.
In Latin, corōna means crown, and modern romance languages follow suit: in Spanish, corona means crown, and Corona beer originated in Mexico.
In English, the anatomical term "corona" is used for body parts resembling a crown.
BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images
A crown encircling the Wuhan coronavirus protein structure.Corona's stock price has not been negatively affected by the outbreak of its namesake, according to a tweet from MIT PhD candidate Joonas Tuhkuri on Tuesday.
Corona Extra has not responded to Business Insider's request for comment on the apparent confusion.
This isn't the first time a disease homonym has affected a brand. According to the New York Times, during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, sales of the diet candy Ayds dropped approximately 50%.
The Wuhan virus has prompted a number of other false narratives. Supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory have been extolling the virtues of drinking bleach to kill the coronavirus, The Daily Beast reported Tuesday.
Next Story
I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
JNK India IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
Indian Army unveils selfie point at Hombotingla Pass ahead of 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas
