Hundreds of Iranian people have died from drinking poisonous alcohol - after reports circulated in the country about how a North Wales teacher took hot toddies as he recovered from coronavirus.
Connor Reed, from Llandudno, was teaching in Wuhan when he became one of the first British people to catch the disease.
His account of his battle with the illness - and how he drank the whisky and honey mixture to soothe his sore throat - was published by the Daily Post, as well as national and international media.
The 25-year-old today told of his horror after reading reports that his tale inadvertently led to the deaths of hundreds of people and left more than 1,000 ill in the Islamic Republic. And he said he felt 'partly responsible'.
Connor's story was picked up by American media and made its way to Iran - where, according to reports, it circulated widely on social media.
Iran is one of the worst hit countries for coronavirus and has a booze ban on religious grounds.
Media reports suggest people wrongly thinking alcohol would cure coronavirus looked to bootleggers to buy booze - but many were given methanol which is deadly poisonous - rather than ethanol that's found in alcoholic drinks.
It's not the first time the problem has existed in Iran.
Last week the New York Times reported social media accounts in Iran had falsely suggested a British school teacher and others cured themselves of coronavirus with whiskey and honey, based on a tabloid story from early February.
The US paper added that mixed with messages about the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, some wrongly believed drinking high-proof alcohol would kill the virus in their bodies.
Connor believes the hot toddy element of his recovery was misconstrued by some media outlets. He claimed that, instead of reporting the old fashioned remedy had helped him with his sore throat, some suggested it cured coronavirus.
Connor said today that Fox News in America had even named him in stories when covering the alcohol crisis in Iran.
He said: "I am upset that needless lives have been lost and angry that the media has taken a well known remedy and spun it in such a way that has caused loss of life.
"I would say that alcohol does not cure it. Traditional human consumption alcohol can help with some symptoms, but industrial not for human consumption alcohol is not whisky and honey and will cause more harm than good.
"Not once did I say whisky cures it, it only can help with some symptoms. And then after American media broke the story, Iranian media then reported on it."
He added: "Of course, I feel responsible for deaths that should not have happened. Any loss of life is a catastrophe."
Connor who worked as a schoolteacher in the Wuhan province contracted coronavirus in December. He has been in lockdown in his apartment ever since but is hoping to leave for Australia once lockdown restrictions are lifted on April 8. He says he wants to "lie low for a while".
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