A post that is going viral on all social media platform is that drinking tea can prevent corona infection. The title of this viral post is 'Drink and drink plenty of tea, good news for tea drinkers'.

Good morning @ravishndtv Sir ,Today I got this message on whatsapp.Please check and tell how much truth is there in these things. Can #coronavirus really be controlled by drinking tea 3 times a day. Thank You 🙏 #NDTV pic.twitter.com/GRucfI0tkM

— ѕaм srivastav (@SrSameer_) March 24, 2020

The viral post claims that the Chinese doctor who first detected the deadly coronavirus had documented evidence that substances commonly found in tea can decrease the impact of the virus - these are known as methylxanthines.

It also mentions that the news was first published by CNN. 'Breaking News from CNN: - Dr. Li Wenliang, China's hero doctor who was punished for telling the truth about coronavirus and later died due to the same disease, had documented casefiles for research purposes and had in the case files proposed a cure that would significantly decrease the impact of the Covid-19 on the human body... What's more shocking is that these complex words that were so difficult for people in China to understand are actually called tea in India, YES, our regular tea has all these chemicals already in it,' the forward reads.

News verification: It's true that methylxanthines are found in tea, as well as in coffee and chocolate. There is, however, no evidence that Dr. Li Wenliang was researching their effect - he was an eye specialist, rather than an expert on viruses, or that hospitals in China are specifically treating Covid-19 by giving patients tea. No such news could be found on the CNN website nor in their Twitter handle for breaking news.

MyGov India recently tweeted saying this is a myth. “…there is NO scientific evidence that it can prevent #COVID19 or make you recover from it faster! Don’t be misled by rumours, trust authentic sources and be responsible while forwarding such news,” it wrote.

Yes, tea is ❤️ but there is NO scientific evidence that it can prevent #COVID19 or make you recover from it faster! Don't be misled by rumours, trust authentic sources & be responsible while forwarding such news. For more facts, visit https://t.co/CKhgW2LA7d. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/VTZSi788xE

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) May 11, 2021

News Verdict: There has been no such research and scientific evidence doesn’t support the claim. Furthermore, there is no evidence that hospitals in China were treating COVID-19 patients with tea. The viral news has no truth and is fake.