TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian doctor says hundreds have died and thousands have been sickened from ingesting toxic methanol across the Islamic Republic out of the false belief it kills the new coronavirus.

Messages forwarded through social media about people surviving the virus by drinking whiskey and using alcohol-based hand sanitizer somehow saw people seek out bootleg liquor in Iran. Some bootleggers sell methanol, which is toxic.

As of now, there is no known cure for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Scientists and doctors continue to study the virus and search for effective medicines and a vaccine.