No mattress can prevent COVID, viral ad is false

The ad claims that the mattress is corona resistant and is anti-fungal, dust mite proof, anti-allergic, waterproof. The price of the mattress is stated as Rs 15000 in the advertisement. The anti-COVID mattress has been developed by 'Arihant'.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=205582697450433

Several users have shared the newspaper clipping with the caption, 'anti-coronavirus mattress!! Claim backed by what research? ......@arihantmattress @MoHFW_INDIA @NHPINDIA @WHO @NHSuk @ColumbiaMSPH'

Archive links:

https://web.archive.org/save/https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=205582697450433

https://web.archive.org/save/https://twitter.com/RajaGhayyas/status/1243827664181514240

https://web.archive.org/save/https://twitter.com/Manisha3005/status/1244160680598462464

Fact Check:

The claim is FALSE.

No such invention has been patented so far. Newsmeter searched various sites to find a notification about such an invention, but nothing was found.

We however, found a tweet by Mumbai news Twitter handle that Narpoli police in Bhiwandi has arrested the manufacturer for posting an anti-coronavirus mattress advertisement in Gujarati daily.

According to reports, a case was registered against the owner of a furniture shop in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi on March 18 for issuing a misleading advertisement which claimed that the mattresses sold at his shop were resistant to COVID-19.

The accused, whose name was not disclosed by police, owns two furniture showrooms in Bhiwandi.

On 13 March, an advertisement ran in a Gujarati newspaper which implied that the mattresses sold at this particular store were 'resistant' to the novel coronavirus.

https://www.thequint.com/news/india/fir-against-maharashtra-store-over-anti-coronavirus-mattress-ad

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/fir-against-furniture-manufacturer-for-advertising-anti-corona-mattress/article31102837.ece

Reports stated that ASCI has informed that if the body finds a serious breach in the code of conduct and if it has the effect of causing public harm, they would direct the advertiser to suspend the ad.

The report cited the example of Arihant Mattress which was advertising 'anti coronavirus mattress. After ASCI reached out to the advertiser, the latter has agreed to withdraw the advertisement.

https://www.latestly.com/india/news/covid-19-scare-products-that-make-misleading-ads-with-claims-like-anti-coronavirus-to-face-the-wrath-of-asci-1611389.html

Hence, the claim that the mattress developed by Arihant is Corona resistant is FALSE.