After news began to circulate that some consumers have associated Corona with the coronavirus outbreak in China, the beer brand says it is confident the public is not confusing its product with the potentially deadly disease.
Several media companies have reported on the possible confusion, including USA Today, Vice and the South China Morning Post.
“It is our belief that, by and large, consumers know the difference between the virus and the beer,” says Maggie Bowman, senior communications director at Constellation Brands, Corona’s parent company.
Internet searches for the Mexican beer brand, as well as terms such as “Corona beer virus” and “beer virus,” have spiked in the United States over the past three weeks, Google Trends data shows.
The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus epidemic a global health emergency on Thursday, citing an increasing risk that the disease poses worldwide. A majority of the more than 7,500 confirmed cases are contained within China, though the disease has been identified in patients in at least 18 other countries.