On Sunday, the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz instructed the President of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque to distribute the water of the Zamzam well in Mecca to those who were infected with the novel coronavirus.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the head of the affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Sudais, ordered that "Zamzam water" be distributed to coronavirus patients.
According to Islamic legend, the well, which is adjacent to the Kaaba in Mecca, was the one that God created for Ishmael when he was thirsty in the desert with his mother Hagar.
One would think that this is a harmless idea which could offer a significant placebo effect for patients, but a BBC investigation in 2011 found that the Zamzam well water contained high levels of nitrate, potentially harmful bacteria, and arsenic at levels three times the legal limit in the UK. So it is a mild poison.