Desperate to go viral: Instagram influencers hijack coronavirus hashtag

Instagram influencers are using the coronavirus hashtag in a desperate attempt to go viral and gain followers in the midst of the global outbreak.

At least 213 people have died from coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China with at least 9816 confirmed cases across the world.

Since the spread of the disease, the coronavirus hashtag has become a trend on Instagram, with at least 190,000 posts using the tag.

Most photos are people sharing information about the crisis or their personal experiences with the virus — however some are taking it as an opportunity to cash in on some likes.

Instagram influencers have been posting photos of themselves warning others about the coronavirus — but also showing off their great bodies, high-end outfits and extravagant lifestyles.

A German influencer, who goes by Fitness Oskar, shared a photo with his girlfriend's legs tightly wrapped around his waist and the pair kissing while wearing face masks.

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CORONA-VIRUS | Wir beten, dass es endlich gestoppt wird 🙏 Dieses Bild hat sich tatsächlich mehrmals so abgespielt. Auf öffentlichen Plätzen küssen @healthy_mandy und ich uns nur mit Mundschutz. Wir haben keine Angst vor dem Virus, aber wir tragen dennoch, wie ca. 90% der Menschen hier in Thailand die Masken, um uns nicht anzustecken. Unseren Urlaub genießen wir trotzdem und hoffen, dass dieses Elend bald gestoppt wird! Wir bekommen täglich sehr viele Fragen zum Virus: „Kann man überhaupt noch nach Asien reisen?“ „Sollte ich meinen Urlaub absagen?“ „Haben die Menschen vor Ort Angst?“ „Wie wird hier mit der Katastrophe umgegangen?“ Diese Fragen, und viele mehr, haben wir nun in einem YouTubevideo beantwortet, welches ich euch in meiner Story verlinkt habe. Was denkt ihr über das Virus? Habt ihr Angst? Tragen die Menschen in eurer Stadt auch Mundschutz? Denkt ihr die Situation wird jetzt in den Griff bekommen oder wird sich das Virus weiter ausbreiten? Schreibt eure Meinung in die Kommentare, sie würde mich sehr interessieren. (P.S.: Kein Photoshop) #corona #coronavirus #virus #kiss #kuss #asien #asienurlsub #thailand #phuket #palmen #palmtree #beach #strand

A post shared by FitnessOskar (@fitnessoskar) on Jan 30, 2020 at 7:42am PST

The pair claim that this is the only way they kiss in public while on holiday in Phuket, Thailand.

"We are not afraid of the virus... We still enjoy our vacation and hope that this misery will be stopped soon!", Fitness Oskar captioned the post.

Meanwhile, American YouTuber Logan Paul shared a photo himself and others wearing a gas mask, captioning the post "f**k coronavirus".

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f**k the corona virus

A post shared by Logan Paul (@loganpaul) on Jan 28, 2020 at 6:28pm PST

Another influencer, Malaysian-Chinese woman Jeii Pong, posted a photo of herself posing in a a plaid skirt, black crop top and a face mask.

"Remember to put your mask on to protect yourself! Checkout my stories," she wrote.

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请大家照顾健康🙏❤ 到多人地方一定要戴口罩😷 可以看看我的IG story有跟你们分享哪些比较适合的口罩~ . . BTW在机场咯 要回去继续打拼🔥 . Please take care🙏❤ Remember to put on your mask to protect yourself !! Checkout my stories , shared some tips on which mask to be worn~ . BTW I otw back to KL🔥

A post shared by Jeii 碰姐 庞捷忆 (@jeii_pong) on Jan 27, 2020 at 10:07pm PST

Russian model Sonya Buchik also showed off her clothes along with wearing a mask in a photo from Osaka, Japan.

"I think everyone already knows about the Chinese virus... I don't understand why many people think that I am in China, because I am in Japan, in Osaka!" she captioned the post in Russian.

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КОРОНАВИРУС В ЯПОНИИ Я думаю, уже все знают и о китайском вирусе, и про город Ухань, который является эпицентром инфекции, и ещё многое другое от наших СМИ. Я не понимаю, почему многие думают, что я нахожусь в Китае, ведь я в Японии, в Осаке! Здесь заражённых практически нет, пару человек в Токио, как и по всему миру. Поэтому со мной всё хорошо, я ношу маску, мою руки. А про ситуацию в целом хочу сказать, что всё очень сильно преувеличено. Ни в каких посылках из Китая, ни в каких бананах вируса нет. И не может быть. Число жертв коронавируса везде разное, поэтому верьте только проверенным источникам(минздравы и их оф. медийные ресурсы + ВОЗ), а не сторисам из инстаграма. Peace and love ❤️ ✌🏼 #коронавирус #коронавирускитай #вирус #вирусвкитае #ухань #коронавирус2020 #coronavirus #coronavirusoutbreak #coronavirus2020 #theparisguru #chinavirus

A post shared by Соня Бучик | Модель (@sonyabuchik) on Jan 30, 2020 at 8:00am PST

Brazilian Fashion Analyst Evelyn Marques shared a photo of herself wearing a face mask surrounded by Lunar New Year lanterns in Changsha, China.

"We are spending more time at home, which is not all bad, after all we have time to read as many books as we want, watch all the Oscar nominated films, do yoga all day and give even more attention to my dogs," she wrote.

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Real life situation in China 🇨🇳 ||~~ Sim a situação do vírus é preocupante, mas o governo chinês tem feito TUDO que pode e eu prefiro acreditar em um país que constrói um hospital do ZERO em uma semana do que em um vídeo sensacionalista de pessoas desmaiando na rua postado por um YouTuber “X”! Pra falar bem a verdade a minha maior preocupação tem sido ver as prateleiras dos mercados vazias; Por mais que a cidade em que eu more tenha 8 milhões de habitantes, ainda é considerada uma cidade do interior e devido ao feriado de Ano Novo Chinês juntamente com a situação do Vírus a maioria dos fornecedores ainda não estão trabalhando o que resulta em comércios fechados e mercados vazios. Sim estamos passando mais tempo em casa, o que não é de todo mal, afinal temos tempo pra ler quantos livros quisermos, assistir todos os filmes indicados ao Oscar, fazer yoga o dia todo e dar ainda mais atenção para os meus cachorros - que a essa altura já devem estar até enjoados da minha voz 😆. 🙌🏼 Acalme-se mundo! Antes de tudo procurem informações através de fontes seguras! Essas são as informações oficias atualizadas sobre a epidemia: 👉🏼 Last update: 2020/1/30 20:55 • (Mortes) Death toll: 170, •(pessoas curadas) Recovered: 133, •(casos confirmados) Confirmed cases: 7830, •(casos suspeitos) Suspected cases: 12139 🙏🏼

A post shared by Fashion Analyst • (@evelynbmarques) on Jan 30, 2020 at 5:36am PST

Even streetwear influencers took the opportunity to promote high-end brands by making a post about the coronavirus.

American video maker Steven Divish shared a photo of himself with a face mask on and branded clothes with the caption: "Vibe check".

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Vibe check. #shenzhen #stevendivish #maskon #coronavirus #hongkong

A post shared by Steven Divish (@stevendivish) on Jan 27, 2020 at 10:47pm PST

Meanwhile, Israeli music manager Rotem Avraha shared a photo in a Moschino shirt, a Givenchy jacket and black face mask from Guangzhou in China.

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😷😷😷 #לאמהיום✋ . . . . ‏#china #corona #coronavirus

A post shared by ℜotem Avrahaℳ (@rotemavraham) on Jan 30, 2020 at 7:48am PST